Beyond Frontiers
by Lalaith Quetzalli
Summary: When two girls crossed all barriers they acquired great powers and discovered a different world they got to live great adventures and found the purest love there exists, a love that will carry on...Beyond Frontiers...EdOC, AlOC, RoyRiza, little WinryOC
1. Prologue

**Beyond Frontiers**

_**By: Princess Lalaith** _

_Disclaimer: Me doesn't own FMA…(you know the drill). I, however do own Helen Calher, Itziar Carrey and practically everything related to them (including of course this story). _

_Note: Even though this fic is written in English I've made it so my new characters' native tongue will be Spanish (just like me and my friends). I'll include some phrases and even a few dialogues in Spanish, just for more effect. _

_Full Summary: When two girls crossed all barriers for the first time they acquired great powers and got to see a different world; when doing it for the second time they lived great adventures and found the purest love there exists, a love that will go on…**Beyond Frontiers**. _

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Index

**Prologue. **

**First Trip: Life as an Alchemist. **

Chapter 1. Friends Forever

Chapter 2. State Alchemists

Chapter 3. The Other Girl

**Second Trip: The Quest for the Philosopher's Stone. **

Chapter 4. Return

Chapter 5. Alliances

Chapter 6. Happy Reunions

Chapter 7. The Philosopher's Stone

Chapter 8. Separations

Chapter 9. An Angel…A Star…

Chapter 10. Farewells

**Third Trip: Conqueror of Shambala. **

Chapter 11. Joyful Reencounters, Lost Memories and Painful Tears

Chapter 12. Someday, Somehow…

**Fourth Trip: The Elric's Voyage. **

Chapter 13. Past and Present

Chapter 14. Personal Fairytale

Chapter 15. Almost Perfect

Chapter 16. The Dream Shatters

Chapter 17. Of Revelations and Preparations

**Fifth Trip: The Last Journey. **

Chapter 18. Back Home

**Epilogue.**

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* * *

Prologue. **

It all began late one night, in a coastal city of Mexico. There was a festival downtown and a lot of families were there having a good time.

However, no one seemed to notice a certain girl getting away from the crowd. She wasn't very tall, five feet at the most, with soft honey-brown eyes and light brunette hair that reached her shoulders, dressed in a simple yellow sundress and white shoes.

Usually the summer festival would take place at the Kiosk, in the center of the main Plaza, but as it had been in remodeling recently, the festival had taken place at a new plaza, some blocks away, instead.

This girl, however was curious, as curious as an eight-year-old can be (which means too much for her own good) and wanted to see the other plaza; and so, taking advantage of the fact that her parents had gotten distracted, she slipped away. But there was one person who did notice, it was another girl, about two years older than the first one and slightly taller too, with blue-green eyes and very light auburn hair that reached her mid-back, dressed in a jean skirt, dark blue shirt and black shoes.

The first girl finally reached the Kiosk, it was just finished, but some debris still remained all around it, making it a bit hard to reach the center. But still, the eight-year-old managed to get there and stepped into the Kiosk.

No one could have expected what happened next, no one. It was as if all of a sudden the stone-floor began glowing an eerie tone of blue, some kind of symbolic circle appeared right under the girl's feet, and then she could feel hundreds of images bombarding her mind, all of them at the same time.

Right as that was happening, the ten-year-old reached the Kiosk, just in time to be bombarded by those same images too.

Neither of them knew what was happening, it was as if suddenly the full story of a whole new world were reaching them, and they were completely incapable of stopping it from happening, incapable of preventing all that knowledge from going into their brains. They could just stand there, unmoving, and try not to go insane with so much information, a lot of which was really horrible and painful.

And just when it almost seemed like the images were slowing down and would be stopping in any second; they both believed it was all finally over…until things seemed to take a turn to the wild side.

A black hole suddenly opened right under the honey-eyed girl, swallowing her whole before she even had a chance to scream for help.

The older girl just remained in her spot, completely frozen in shock, for what could have been seconds to several minutes, until abruptly a new black-hole opened, this time swallowing her up. It all happened so fast she couldn't try and get a hold on something or even move from her spot at all.

No one seemed to have seen anything at all.

And just an instant later, the Kiosk was empty.

One sole word echoed in the night air as the glowing circle disappeared: "Amestris…"

* * *

So, this is it. The beginning of a new fic. The first I've ever written of Full Metal Alchemist. 

As you can see this fic is basically an AU, most of the things will remain the same, except for the fact that there will be two more people around, important to both Elric brothers.

I apologize already to those who are fans of the Winry/Ed couple or Winry/Al. Because I won't be using either of those. In this fic both of them will have an OC as couple.

I included an index here for several reasons, first, I know the prologue is short, but that was as far as I could take it, for now. Second, as you can see the story is finished already, the updates will come acording to the reviews I receive. And third, so you'll get an idea of basically what's gonna happen.

This is al for the time being, see you in the next update, don't forget to review!


	2. Friends Forever

**Chapter 1. Friends Forever **

Slowly, honey-brown eyes opened to the light of a new day. She noticed she was laying in a very comfortable bed, the problem was that it was in a room that didn't belong to her.

Suddenly, all the memories of what had happened in the festival entered her mind making her straighten up immediately, and a consequence giving her a vertigo attack.

"Por todos los demonios del infierno…" She cursed in her native tongue, Spanish.

"You're awake." A female voice said from the door.

The girl seemed slightly confused at the language.

"You don't speak English?" The woman asked.

She was tall, with brilliant eyes and auburn hair, dressed in a simple brown dress.

"I…I do…" The girl finally answered. "It's just, I don…I usually don't have to e…to speak it out of school."

"I understand." The woman nodded.

"Excuse me." The girl spoke. "Where am I? Who are you? How did I get here?..."

"Well, give me a second, please." The woman said with a smile, she spoke slowly, to give the girl chance to register every word. "You're in Rizenbul, at my house, my name is Trisha Elric. My sons brought you here late last night, they found you unconscious next to the river, it was raining and there was no one else around. Did you get lost?"

"Sort of…" The girl replied, then she noticed something. "Please, forgive my run…rudeness. My name is Helen Calher. I think I am lost, but I doubt I'm from any place around."

"What makes you say that?"

"I have never heard of any town called Rizenbul. I live in a country called Mexico. And the last thing I remember is standing in a Kiosk, the night of the Festival, a bright light at my feet, lots of images getting inside my head and then…nothing."

"That's the last thing you remember?"

Helen nodded.

"Well." Trisha said sympathetically. "Don't worry. I'll see what I can do to help you."

"What if I'm not from around? If I'm from another continent, or another world?" Helen asked, having grown up around so many fiction stories, she now believed them all possible.

"Then you can be sure you'll be welcome to stay here until you find a way to get back home, to your own family." Trisha assured her.

"I don't want to…bu…bother." Helen said timidly.

"You are not a bother, believe me. I'll be very happy to have you here. And I'm sure Ed and Al will be very happy too? Ah, Ed and Al are my sons. If you come with me to the kitchen I'll introduce you to them. It's almost time for lunch anyway."

Helen shyly followed the mother to the kitchen, where two boys were already waiting. They both had amber eyes and blonde hair, the younger one's slightly darker.

"Hey boys." Trisha greeted them. "Say hello to our guest, her name is Helen Calher. Helen, these are my sons: Edward and Alphonse."

"Pleased to meet you." Helen whispered shyly, stepping in front of the boys.

"Same here." Edward said shaking her hand. "I'm Edward, you may call me Ed. My little bro here is Alphonse, just call him Al."

Helen smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad you're awake now Helen." Al told her. "Ed and I got worried when we saw you all alone, laying on the ground."

"Thank you very much for helping me." Helen said.

"It was nothing." Ed assured her. "We would never leave aside someone who needed help. Would we Al?"

"Of course not brother." Al replied immediately.

"Ed, Al." Trisha called to them. "When you talk try to do it slowly. English isn't Helen's first language and it may be a bit hard for her at first to keep up with the conversations."

"Ok, mom." Al nodded.

"What's your first language?" Ed asked, curious.

"Spanish." Helen answered.

"Really?" Al asked excitedly. "I've always wanted to learn other languages. Could you teach us Spanish?"

"Well…I don't know…" Helen sounded unsure. "Maybe I could try…"

"If you teach us Spanish we'll teach you Alchemy." Al immediately offered.

"Alchemy?" Helen asked interested. "What's that? Like magic?"

"Magic?" Al sounded a bit confused.

"It's this." Ed immediately set to work.

He brought out a piece of chalk, drew a symbol in the ground, put some threads in it, touched the circle, there was a blue light and then in place of the threads everyone could see a bracelet; it was made out of braided threads, in different tones of blue.

"Increible." Helen gasped in delight. "I mean, Incredible."

"Take it." Ed told her. "It's for you."

"Really?" Helen took the bracelet and tied it around her wrist with some help from Ed. "Thank you. I'll never take it off."

"So, you want to learn how to do that?" Ed asked her.

"Can I really learn to do something like that?" Helen asked, getting excited at the idea.

"Yes, I do believe you can." Ed nodded.

"Then yes!" Helen cried out fascinated. "I would love to learn Alchemy, and of course I'll teach you Spanish in exchange."

"Equivalent Exchange…" The brothers whispered.

"Excuse me…" Helen was confused.

"Rule number one of Alchemy." This time Al was the one to explain. "To obtain something you have always to give something of the same value in exchange…"

.---.

And that's how it all began.

After a few days it became evident that no one in Rizenbul knew of any place called Mexico. And after some weeks it became pretty obvious Helen wouldn't be leaving the Elric's house any time soon.

Within a couple of months everyone in town considered Helen as another Elric. Trisha had always wanted a daughter, and took a great liking to Helen, so she didn't mind at all. And Helen also liked Trisha and her kids; she hadn't forgotten about her family, friends and home, but she knew it wouldn't do good to anyone if she got depressed.

Helen did learn alchemy, she was in fact a fast learner. She soon got to the same level as the brothers, and the three advanced from there.

They had another very good friend: Winry Rockbell, with whom they used to play. Winry also became Helen's best friend. Both girls would have long chats when the Elric brothers were off doing some chore, they were almost like sisters.

Before any of them noticed time was passing by pretty fast. The lives of the three alchemy's apprentices seemed to be pretty happy; until tragedy stroke.

It began when Trisha fell ill. About a year had passed since Helen's unexpected arrival, and no one could have imagined Trisha to be so sick. Helen did what she could to get the housework done and not bother Trisha, Ed and Al did the same.

But even with their abilities there was nothing they could do to save Trisha's life. Eventually she lost the battle against the sickness and died. Ed and Al seemed to get even more secluded in their studies, they wouldn't let anyone in, not even Helen, and that made her pretty sad.

One night a woman dressed in a white coat with a very curious symbol arrived. There was a terrible storm, the kids tried to use their alchemy to reinforce the limits of the river and prevent a flood, but even with the power of the three together it just wasn't enough. The woman in white arrived right in time to save them and the whole town.

They later learnt her name was Izumi and she was quite a powerful alchemist. The three kids insisted over and over until they got her to agree on being their sensei. Though at first Izumi didn't seem to like the idea of training such a young girl as Helen, she was pretty stubborn and finally Izumi complied.

And so, Edward, Alphonse and Helen trained for months, and finally returned to their home in Rizenbul late one night. As soon as they arrived the Elric brothers told Helen to go see their 'auntie' Pinako and tell them they were back. Helen didn't comment on why they wanted her to go on her own, she just did it.

Winry was quite surprised when seeing Helen at her front porch. After some quick greetings the Rockbell girl commented how she had thought about them after finding a book Ed had left behind in her house by accident. Helen took the book and opened it on a marked paged, what she read there made her panic.

"Maldición!" Helen cursed in Spanish.

"Helen?" Winry asked, confused by the sudden change of the girl.

But Helen didn't answer, she turned around and ran as fast as she could to the Elric's house; which was pretty fast in fact. That was something they had all noticed from the girl since her arrival, she seemed to be pretty fast and agile, more than everyone else her age, and even some of those older than her.

"Ed! Al! Don't¡No lo hagan!" Helen was so panicked she began mixing phrases in English and Spanish.

She ran into the house right as a brilliant light filled the lower half of the house. She soon got inside the shop and saw the disaster taking place there.

"Virgen santa…" Helen gasped at the sight.

She didn't need to be a genius to know what they had tried and that it had all gone wrong. Al's body was still disappearing into a void when she saw Ed, who was already missing a leg, use his own blood to draw transmutation circles in his arms and chest; it took Helen a second to know what he was going to do.

She immediately used the same blood to draw similar circles in her own hands, clapped them, and then went to touch Ed's body right as he tried to bring Al's soul back and bind it to the nearest armor.

It was almost like the time when she had arrived to that world: there were lots of images going around her, the 'universal truth' as some would call it. But this time around she was conscious of standing before a great dark and spooky door, right next to Ed, who seemed quite surprised to find her there.

"I thought you were with Winry." Ed said, trying to scold her.

"I wasn't about to let you go through this alone." Helen replied confidently.

"It's dangerous." Ed reminded her.

"I know." Helen nodded, calmer than she had expected herself to be. "And still, I'm not going to leave you. Not now, not ever."

"Thank you…" Ed whispered.

That night the Law of "Equivalent Exchanges" was carved into Helen's memory, deeper than ever before. That night all three kids understood what alchemy truly was about: about rewards and the sacrifices those rewards required.

Maybe it was because of the fact of Al being so dear to them both, maybe just because he was a human being, or because the brothers had tried to achieve something forbidden in the same place. The truth is that it was obvious that Ed's arms would have never been enough to get Al back to the world of the living, even if it was only his soul.

They both would have to sacrifice what was dearer to them, only then they had a chance of getting what they wished. Helen knew Ed would have given his whole life up if he could, but she wouldn't let him, Al wouldn't want that. So instead, Ed sacrificed almost his whole right arm, besides the left leg he had already lost, while she offered both of her hands.

Her hands, the one part of her Helen had been proudest of; she was great at things that were handmade: like drawing, painting, sewing, embroidering, etc. And even when she lost them that night, she never regretted it; she knew in her heart that Al's life was much more valuable than any of those things.

It was a shock for both Winry and Pinako Rockbell, when they found an armor with the voice of Alphonse Elric at their doorstep, carrying the unconscious and mutilated bodies of Edward Elric and Helen Calher.

Days passed, and the children had an awesome recovery. When finally being fully conscious Edward told Pinako to take the money from their house and get automails for him and Helen. The old woman didn't seem to like the idea, but eventually both kids got their way.

What surprised them all the most was when they saw a man arrive in Rizenbul some days later, apparently after receiving one of the letters the three kids had been sending around while looking for the Elric's missing father when Trisha was sick. The man, Colonel Roy Mustang, seemed quite impressed when discovering three children had survived a human transmutation, especially when he saw one of them was a ten-year-old girl. Since Al was now in an armor no one really got shocked by him, now Helen looked like the youngest of the trio.

After the Colonel's visit the kids got inside their minds the idea of becoming State Alchemists, thinking it would make things a bit easier for them. They would have to work for the militia, right, but they would also get the chance to investigate in a lot of places restricted to the public and so find a way to get back Al's body and Ed's and Helen's limbs.

"I promise you Al, Helen." Ed told them the night they made the decision of going to Central City. "I'll get you both whole again."

"That applies both ways, you know." Helen said as a matter of fact.

"That's right brother." Al nodded. "We'll get your missing limbs back too."

"Amigos para siempre?" Helen proposed extending her hand.

"Yes." Ed nodded extending his hand over hers; he understood her pretty well, having learnt some Spanish by then. "Friends forever."

"Friends forever." Al repeated putting his hand over theirs.

.---.

But even as they made that promise, that night. There was something the three friends ignored. Someone else had arrived to their world that fatidic night.

* * *

Ok, I'll suppose that you people haven't let any reviews because there really wasn't much of a story in the last chapter. So, I hope I will receive some reviews on this chapter. Here you can see the story's true beginning. How things would have been, had Helen been part of it all. As you've seen thus far some things are the same, the real changes will be seen later on. 

Once more, PLEASE LEAVE REVIEW!!! ONEGAI!!!

See you in the next update.


	3. State Alchemists

**Chapter 2. State Alchemists **

Edward, Alphonse and Helen finally arrived to Central City exhausted beyond words. Their trip certainly hadn't been an easy one. General Hakuro had been traveling in the same train, along with his family, some rebels had tried to take advantage of that, the militaries with them hadn't been able to do much if anything at all; so in the end the friends had been the ones to handle the situation.

Roy Mustang was there, waiting for them, at the train station.

Al, Ed and Helen watched as al the prisoners were put into custody; the last of them being the leader, Bard, to whom Roy Mustang went to speak before facing the young alchemists.

Bard managed to get free of his ropes and tried to attack the Colonel, but Roy raised a gloved hand, snapped his fingers and the criminal's body was surrounded in flames.

"Incredible…" Ed gasped.

"Impresionante…(Impressing)" Helen murmured.

They had never before seen anything like that.

There they learnt he was Colonel Roy Mustang, also called the Flame Alchemist. The three kids were quite surprised, as they couldn't really remember his face from the time he had visited Rizenbul (they had been mostly unconscious back then).

Helen was about to make a comment about the man's attitude, when suddenly Ed ran to face him, he seemed quite mad.

"Colonel!" Edward yelled to call his attention. "You put us in that train, knowing what would happen, didn't you?"

"Ed, I don't think it's a good idea…" Helen began doubtful, but was quite surprised when the Colonel answered to the accusation.

"We weren't fully sure." Roy admitted casually. "But I have you good news. The General has heard of your talent and will give all three of you a special permission to make the exam for State Alchemist."

"Special?" Ed was a bit confused suddenly. "You told us…"

"That means he always knew there was no chance they would allow us to present that test, unless we had previous merits!" It all dawned to Helen right then. "He put us on that train on purpose!" she turned to Roy. "Everything we did, you had it all planned. Didn't you?"

"Quite clever for being such a young girl." Roy commented. "There's no way children would be allowed to make such an important military exam. You understand? Aren't you happy that I told you to get on that train?"

Ed was too shocked to answer, and Helen preferred just to keep her eyes on the man, to prove him his attitude didn't intimidate her.

Even when she had been very shy when just arriving to that world, Helen had changed a lot in the previous two years, she was braver, more open, audacious; she had certainly proved it during that 'mission' in the train.

"It's your decision to present the exam or not." Roy said as he passed next to the kids.

"Of course I'll do it!" Ed yelled turning to him. "We'll do it."

"We've come all the way here, for that sole reason." Helen added, sounding somewhat calmer than Ed. "We're not about to back up from our decision."

"It seems to me like we're in his hands." Al murmured to the two when the militaries finally left. "But there's nothing we can do. We still need more power."

"If it's power we need we'll get it." Helen declared seriously. "We definitely will."

.---.

The three kids were sent to Shou Tucker's house to prepare for the exam. They passed months there reading, studying, practicing and training their martial arts. Anyone that may see them, especially Ed and Helen when they got in a 'friendly fight' would be shocked at the ability they really had.

It came as a shock when Mustang told them Alphonse wouldn't be able to present the exam, if he did it was likely everyone would find out he didn't have a human body at all and then the consequences would be catastrophic.

Ed tried to get this chance to convince Helen of staying back too, but she refused. They had promised to go together, and to that promise she would hold. She would do anything she had to, to become a State Alchemist, along with Ed.

Many questions were done to her during the interview, but there was only one that stuck into her mind.

"Why do you want to become a State Alchemist?" They had asked her.

"Because I want to prove myself and everyone that despite the age and the gender, I can be a very good alchemist." She answered confidently. "And because I promised my best friends I would do my best and become a State Alchemist."

The day of the practical exam came, Ed and Helen went to the yard where all kind of materials had been laid out for them to work with.

Ed and Helen wore their favorite clothes: Ed his black sweatshirt along with a short jacket and pants both black with white rim, white gloves, black boots and a red coat with the symbol their sensei had passed to them: a cross surrounded by a snake and on top a winged crown. Helen's attire was very much like his except her short jacket and pants were midnight blue with black rim, underneath she wore an azure top, also black gloves and boots and a sapphire coat with the same symbol as Ed's.

The exam began smoothly. A man transmuted rocks into a very tall and imposing tower, he managed to impress the judges, until they noticed just how much he had tired out.

The second transmuted trees and water into what looked like an aerostatic balloon, formed by paper and filled with hydrogen. It began floating around.

And that's when the problems began. It appeared that the balloon wasn't thick enough, a hole appeared and the hydrogen began getting out, causing the balloon to go in a certain direction, it hit the stone tower and before long they were both collapsing to the ground, to where the tired first alchemist still laid.

"Cuidado (Beware)!" Helen yelled in Spanish.

"Oh no!" Ed was in panic too.

"Ed!" Helen yelled at him.

One look was enough, suddenly they seemed to have a plan. Ed ran to the where the disaster was taking place, Helen a few steps behind him. In a certain moment he turned around and joined hands in front of himself, she took the momentum, stepped on his hands and jumped as high as she could get, while Ed turned sharply once more and continued running.

The moment Ed tossed her into the air they managed to call the judges attention. Especially Mustang's, he had been about to use his power, until reasoning it could all get worse if he got a fire started in that moment.

At the same time, Helen in the air, Ed in the ground, both clapped their hands together, then he touched the ground and she extended her hands, some threads coming from her fingers and reaching the balloon (as she couldn't jump high enough to touch it with her hands). And the transmutation began.

They all gasped.

Ed's energy went from the ground and up, while Helen's traveled through the threads, to the balloon, and then downwards. There was the already known brilliant blue light and then both the tower and the balloon disappeared, and it its placed appeared a floating crown of flowers, petals flying down everywhere.

The judges were certainly impressed, not only because of the changes the two kids had made, but because they had done them without a transmutation circle.

That day history changed, when a twelve-year-old boy called Edward Elric was accepted as a State Alchemist, the youngest ever accepted; and an eleven-year-old girl called Helen Calher became the first female State Alchemist, and at such a young age too.

The first small missions the pair of new State Alchemists were assigned, and to which Al always accompanied them were anything but easy.

It was a great trauma for them all, but especially for Helen what happened to Nina, she had become fond of that girl. Some feared she would never get over it, but she did, with Ed's and Al's help she managed to get over it all and go on; after all, they had made a promise.

The next big scare came when Winry went over on a visit, Helen got to her when someone tried to kidnap her and ended up being the one kidnapped instead. Ed did everything he could to save Helen, and almost got killed himself in the process.

After their 'little adventure' the General had given the two of them aliases according to what they basically did: and so, Edward became the Full Metal Alchemist; while Helen was named the Weaver Alchemist.

.---.

Their first big mission was to go to investigate a coal mine; it seemed there had been problems around the place. There they all discovered that many people weren't exactly fond of State Alchemists, in fact some just plain hated them. That was the reason why Ed was kicked out of the inn, Al kept silent about knowing him, while Helen remained anonymous, trying to get as much information as she could without being noticed. With her being such a young girl and looking so innocent it was something easy, as no one really expected her to be an alchemist, less of all one of the military.

Helen let Ed take charge of most of the problem while Al talked with the villagers and she checked out the place. Their plan seemed to be going quite well until the Second Lieutenant Yoki (who was in charge of the place) had the inn destroyed without reason. That's when the three friends decided it had been enough.

Joining forces Ed ad Helen transmuted a cart full of rocks into gold, they knew it wasn't going to last, so they had to act fast. Ed went to negotiate with Yoki, while Helen helped Al do what they could to rebuild the inn.

It was a great surprise for the villagers when they saw Ed arrive, telling them he was going to 'sell to them' the certificate of the mine, the payment would be a night in the inn; which by then had been successfully rebuilt by the other two. The villagers just couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Right then Yoki arrived, the 'spell' had vanished and the gold he had received had vanished. But because of the paper he had signed to Edward he couldn't reclaim the mine. He then sent his servant, an alchemist called Lyla, to attack Ed and the villagers. It was in that moment that Helen decided to make her presence known.

Lyla sent her attack, but before it impacted two gloved hands stopped it. They were all deeply shocked when seeing the 'girl' stopping the attack. Even more when her gloves were torn and they all saw she had automails in both hands.

"Who are you?!" Lyla yelled at her in shock.

"Helen Calher." The girl replied calmly, showing her silver pocket-watch. "Also known as the Weaver Alchemist."

"You're a State Alchemist too?" Lyla was shocked. "But you're just a girl."

"Yeah, that's what everyone in the Headquarters said when I was accepted in." Helen nodded. "Didn't they Ed?"

"Yes, they did." Ed nodded standing next to her.

"You're State Alchemists." Lyla said frustrated. "Why then do you go against the militaries?"

She didn't even wait for an answer, she attacked directly. And once again Helen extended her hands to block her, Ed helping her with his own automail-hand.

"We haven't yet sold our souls." Ed grunted.

"And we never will." Helen added confidently.

Before anyone could say a thing the girl clapped her hands together and then touched her right index finger. Instantly her 'nail' seemed to grow, fast.

A second later everyone could hear the sound of metal breaking.

Lyla gasped when looking right in front of her, the medallion she had been wearing, in which was the transmutation circle, had just been broken by Helen's transmuted 'nail'; which she retracted right then.

Yoki tried to send the other soldiers but most of them were immediately submitted by the villagers, while Yoki himself suddenly found himself bound by threads coming from Helen's metallic hands.

"This is why I am called Weaver Alchemist." Helen exclaimed.

"Most people tend to underestimate her when hearing her alias, and seeing she's a girl." Ed added. "But I think it's quite appropriate. What do you think Yoki?"

They didn't receive an answer, and they didn't really care, they weren't expecting one.

That mission made them famous: Full Metal and Weaver, two State Alchemists that helped the people more than the militia.

.---.

But while the three friends had fun with their abilities and the fame it soon got them; there was someone who wasn't having fun at all. It was an eleven-year-old girl with blue-green eyes and light auburn hair, dressed in tattered clothes laid in what looked light a medical-med, strapped to it and unable to move at all. She cried and yelled, but it seemed to be useless.

"Please! Let me go!" She yelled until hurting her throat.

"Shut up!" A man yelled at her arriving. "Be a good girl and this won't hurt you…much."

"No…please don't…" She insisted, but there was no way for her to get free.

The man, dressed like a doctor and with a huge scar on a side of his face, approached her, a syringe in his hand, he took off a piece of gauze from the side of her neck, there several marks of punctures could be seen, signaling this wasn't the first time something was done to her.

The syringe went into her neck and the contents of it, a reddish sticky-locking substance went into her blood stream.

A second later the girl was crying out again, but this time it was in pain, deep pain. She felt as if the liquid were burning her from the inside out. In a certain moment she managed to move slightly one of her hands, immediately all the objects near her went flying.

"No, not again. You're not doing that again." The man said, and tightened her bonds.

"Please…" The girl whispered once more when she got tired of screaming. "Por favor, alguien sálveme…Por favor… (Please, someone save me...Please...)"

* * *

Any of you people have any idea how sad an depressing it is to put all my effort in a fic and receive almost no answer to it at all? No praises, no reviews (save one), not even flames (not that I want flames that badly, either). The thing is, that this lack-of-response, makes me believe not many people are reading this story at all; and I thought it was bad enough not to receive reviews on "Youkai Love". Well, anyway, I suppose I'll update a couple of times more, but if my review-count remains this low for too long I'll have no other choice but to erase this fic (something that saddens me considering how much effort I put in writing it…). 

Please review! I'm practically begging you people!!


	4. The Other Girl

**Chapter 3. The Other Girl **

Flashback 

She had opened her eyes to find herself laying in the street. It was raining, and she had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. The last things she remembered was going to the Kiosk during the night of the festival, following a girl; Once in the Kiosk she had seen a bright light on the ground, her mind was bombarded by different images, an incredible knowledge given to her; and then there had been that black hole…and that was about it.

She got on her feet and began looking for someone whom she could ask for directions, but it seemed that it was pretty late for anyone to be out.

When seeing the structure of the buildings she was convinced she was no longer in her own hometown; and she could also remember a voice saying 'Amestris', she supposed that was the name of the place she was in.

While she walked she could see in a wall some posters, one of them a warning about some criminal that kidnapped young women, the policemen were looking for him; they were doing their best to catch the man before another woman disappeared.

In the letters of the posters the girl noticed that in that place they spoke English, not Spanish. She then thanked her parents, who had sent her to a bilingual school since she was four, so she was very god with the language.

"Isn't it late for a girl like you to be out?" A male voice suddenly asked her from behind.

"Ye…yes." The girl answered, immediately turning around. "But…I think I'm lost."

"Really?" The man asked. "Maybe I can help you find your way home."

Suddenly the good intuition of the girl told her that the man was evil and she had to get away from him. And she did just that.

The girl wasn't exactly the faster runner, but she still tried to get away. In a certain moment she fell down, right next to a light-post. The man was about to get to her, she screamed, shook her arms violently, and suddenly the glass-lamp broke, the pieces falling on the man's face. The girl took that chance to get back on her feet and run away.

Time Jump 

She had been going around the city for several days already. She had heard about things, like the militaries, the State Alchemists, and many other things.

In those days she managed to stay safe thanks to her powers, it was something like telekinesis, but maybe the greatest discovery was when she found out that not only she could make other things float, but she could make herself float, levitate.

Somehow she managed to keep herself alive and safe for several months. She would work helping people here and there and buy food with the money. She slept in any place she could consider safe, never the same for two nights straight. She still hadn't forgotten the man that had pursued her the first night, and didn't want to risk another encounter with him.

Time Jump 

In the end there was nothing she could do. The man eventually found her and managed to trap her before she could use her special abilities against him.

When she woke up again she was already strapped to a medical bed.

"Well, it seems you aren't the average girl, are you?" The man asked cockily.

"What do you want with me?" The girl asked, trying to appear calm.

"Well, I'm a scientist." The man explained. "I've been doing some experiments with humans; but most of my subjects of experiments are too weak to resist what I do to them. I've searched through the population for someone strong enough, and it seems you're just the one."

"Me?" The girl panicked. "You want to experiment with me?!"

"That's right, young girl." The man nodded. "Now, I need a name for the record so, what's your name?"

The girl didn't speak, her mouth tightly shut. It looked like there wasn't much she could do to stop that man from doing whatever he wanted, but still she wasn't about to make things easier for him.

"Very well." The man nodded. "Then you'll be the Subject of Experiment number 24."

When hearing the number it all clicked in her mind, that man was the criminal, the one who kidnapped young women; he remember that the poster said his victims were never seen again. She could just hope she would be a bit luckier than them.

"Well, then lets begin twenty-four." The man said.

She could see him bringing out a syringe with a red substance inside; he quickly pinched her neck and injected the liquid into her bloodstream.

Barely a couple of seconds later her whole body grew hot. It was almost as if the substance the man had injected her were making her blood boil. The torture was awful, almost like a living hell, and she couldn't keep quite about it for too long.

"Ahhhhh!" She finally cried out. "Dios mío ayúdame (My God help me)!"

"I have no idea what you're saying." The man told her. "But screaming will do you no good. This room is soundproof, and if you've been in the streets for so long it's obvious you have no family in the city, so obviously no one will be looking for you. You're all mine."

Sadly, the girl knew he was right, she was lost.

Time Jump 

Somehow, she managed to survive the pain of that first injection, and all the following ones. She would inject her more and more of that substance every week or so. A moment came when she became used to the pain and had almost fully given up on ever being rescued. She was slowly loosing hope of ever being free again.

End of Flashback 

But that terribly hopeless situation seemed to finally come to an end a certain night when, unexpectedly, a certain trio of Alchemists arrived to the laboratory.

.---.

Al, Ed and Helen were sitting at a table in the Headquarters' library, going through their most recent discoveries on the Philosopher's Stone.

A few months had passed since Ed and Helen had become State Alchemists, and they finally had gotten a break from their missions. Enough for them to relax a bit and revise what they had found until then, which in fact wasn't that much.

They had expected at least a week of rest, but the moment First Lieutenant Hawkeye entered the library and went to them, it became evident they had been hoping for too much.

Less than five minutes later the two State Alchemists were standing in front of the Colonel Mustang, while Al waited for them right outside the office.

"I have a mission for you two." Roy declared.

"I could guess that much…" Ed mumbled.

"Ed!" Helen scolded him.

It had always seemed funny to Roy and everyone else how Helen was a year younger than Ed and still she seemed to be the one to scold him and keep him in check always. Although, when there was danger, Ed immediately assumed charge of the team.

Normally alchemists weren't teamed up, most preferred to work individually. But taking in consideration just how young they were, the friendship than bonded them and just what they were capable of when together, even the Fuhrer had agreed on having them remain a team, at least for the time being.

"What's the mission, sir?" Helen asked.

After a while both she and Ed had learnt to respect the Colonel, just considering he was their superior; though Ed still tended to make him mad once in a while, if only for amusement, because he really had nothing against the man.

"Rumors have reached the HQ that a clandestine laboratory has been operating in the south, almost at the limits of the city." Roy explained handing Helen the reports.

Helen immediately went through the papers, looking for anything of importance.

"What kind of laboratory?" Ed asked.

"Well, according to our information there they do..." Roy began.

"Human experimentation?!" Helen cried out in that very moment.

"What?" Ed was shocked.

"According to these papers it is believed that the people, in their majority young women, that were kidnapped until some months ago were taken there for some kind of experiments." Helen explained, not quite believing it.

"But if the last woman was kidnapped about six months ago, wouldn't that mean that nothing is a going on there anymore?" Ed asked when taking a look himself at the papers.

"Not necessarily." Roy said. "More could have been kidnapped that we don't know about. If they lived alone, or were foreigners their disappearance might not have been reported. Or…"

"Or they could have finally found someone who resisted the experiments and went on using only that person." Helen finished for him.

"That's another possibility, yes." Roy nodded.

"We need to find out the truth right away." Ed declared seriously as he went to the door.

"With your permission, Colonel." Helen saluted and then ran to the door.

"You think it was wise to send them to that mission?" Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye asked from her spot next to a bookshelf. "You must remember what happened after the incident with Tucker. It took Calher quite a while to get over that."

"But she got over it." Roy reminded his subordinate. "And she's not alone, those two will always be helping her."

"Do you have some kind of plan, sending specifically them to this mission?" Riza asked. "I think the General would have sent someone more prepared."

"Do you doubt my decisions Lieutenant?"

"Of course not, sir." Riza replied immediately. "It's just that…they're children."

"Children, that's right." Roy nodded. "Children with an incredible talent. They'll be just fine. And I have a feeling they're the indicate people for this mission."

"Sir?" She didn't seem to understand.

"Call it intuition." Roy replied. "This mission was made for them, and no one else."

Riza didn't reply to her superior; being used to his attitude and to the fact that some times she just couldn't understand him; she wondered if he sometimes didn't confuse himself.

.---.

The blue-green eyed girl woke up once more after receiving the most recent 'douse' of that red liquid the man injected to her. There was no way for her to know whether it was day or night, nor how long it had been since the last time she saw the sky. The concept of time didn't seem to exist in her prison, which had no windows, and which's only door remained closed all the time except when the man went in and out to inject her or give her some food, just enough to keep her alive.

Her throat still hurt from all the screaming and crying the previous night, so she decided to remain silent, at least for the moment being.

She was expecting her captor to arrive any moment with the food and maybe do some more tests to keep record of whatever it was that was happening to her with all those injections.

But before the man arrived she heard what seemed to be a huge explosion on the top, followed by several more, not as loud, a lot of crashing, hits and more. And then, when the door finally was opened (blown up is more like it), the one who entered wasn't the scientist, but someone who seemed to be inside a huge armor.

The girl panicked, and perhaps it was that that made her able to rip the straps on her wrists, she managed to move her hands and make everything around her fly in different directions.

"Don't panic." From the armor came a soft male voice. "I'm not here to hurt you. My brother, a friend and I just arrived, we came here to help you."

"He…help?" She asked, unsure. "Really?"

"Yes." The one in the armor, obviously Al said approaching her.

"Oh, gracias al cielo (thanks to heaven)." She said relieved.

"You speak Spanish too?" Al noticed as he broke her binds.

"What do you mean too?" The girl asked, curious.

"My friend, her name is Helen, she speaks Spanish too." Al explained to her.

"Well, then I would love to meet her." The girl said.

Al had to carry her, she had been so long in that bed her legs didn't have the needed strength for her to stand by herself.

They got back to the main floor, where Helen and Ed were fighting off the crazy scientist and some horrible experiments of his like imperfect chimeras, mutants and such.

"Is she alright Al?" Ed asked when seeing the girl in his brother's arms.

"I think so brother." Al replied. "Though it seems she can't stand."

"I think you should put me down so you can fight those monsters." The girl suggested Al. "Don't worry for me, without those binds I'm quite capable of protecting myself."

Al did as she suggested and put her down, then he went to help Ed and Helen. A minute or so later he discovered the girl really could protect herself when not being chained to something. Her telekinesis was incredible; and also, relying a bit on her levitation power she managed to get on her feet.

It took them almost an hour, but finally they were able to get rid of the monsters and leave the crazy man unconscious.

"Excuse me." Ed said. "I'm Edward Elric, this are my brother Alphonse Elric and our friend Helen Calher. Who are you?"

"For the last months, I don't know exactly how many, I've been the twenty-fourth experiment for that man." She said bitterly. "Though my name is Itziar, Itziar Carrey."

She was about to say something else when suddenly the man managed to free himself.

"No!" He yelled at the Alchemists. "No one will take away my experiment!"

"Aléjate de mí (Get away from me)!" Itziar yelled in Spanish raising her hands.

The man was thrown hard against a nearby wall.

"Itziar!" Helen quickly went to the girl. "It's ok, calm down. Cálmate, todo estará bien Calm down, everything will be alright)."

"No!" Itziar cried out once more. "¡Quiero ir a casa (I wanna go home)¡Quiero volver a casa (I want to go back home)!"

Right then there was a lilac glow, a black hole appeared under both girls' feet, and swallowed them whole.

**End of the First Part. **

* * *

My sincerest thanks to those who have reviewed. Even if they aren't too many, they give me a reason to go on with this fic. 

The next chapter will be the beginning of **Second Trip: The Quest for the Philosopher's Stone**, if you have any doubt you may go and see in the index I gave you. That second trip will take the biggest part of this story and of the series in itself. In it you'll get to see more of Helen and Itziar when they have to go back to Amestris, and you'll be able to find out just what consequences the experiments had on Itziar.

Don't forget to review! The next chapter will come out sooner if you do.


	5. Return

**Second Trip: The Quest for the Philosopher's Stone.**

**Chapter 4. Return **

The glow vanished and suddenly both girls found themselves once again in the Kiosk, in that park a few blocks away from where the festival took place. And for the noises they could hear, not more than a few minutes had passed since their leaving.

"Was it a dream?" Helen asked, still in English.

"No, no lo fue (No, no it wasn't)." Itziar subtly reminded her they were supposed to speak in Spanish there, not English. "Volvimos (We came back)."

Right then the girls could hear some voices calling to them, apparently their families who had finally noticed their absence. In a silent agreement they both decided not to say a thing about what had happened in that 'other world', not like anyone would believe them anyway.

It was a great surprise for Helen when she discovered she had her real hands again.

'I just hope this doesn't mean that what I obtained by sacrificing them has disappeared.' Helen thought. 'Ed will be devastated if he loses not only me, but Al too.'

Itziar too noticed the changes, she could once more stand on her feet, the marks of punctures had vanished from her neck and she could no longer move things or herself with her mind.

It seemed as if by returning to their own world they had lost everything they obtained when arriving to the other one, both the good things and the bad.

Not that Itziar really cared, as far as she could remember most of what she had lived on the other world had made her suffer, had given her grief and an immense pain, she wasn't really interested in anything related to it.

.---.

The girls managed to meet until about a month afterwards, as they had been grounded in their rooms for having left the place of the festival without an adult. Neither seemed to give much thought to being grounded, they had passed most of the time remembering what they had lived (at least for Helen most of the memories had been pleasant ones).

The families knew nothing about what had happened when the girls had been in the Kiosk. As they were both still young their growth wasn't really that much noticeable. There was no way for anyone to know that Helen was three years older than she was supposed to be, and Itziar one. The difference was because they hadn't arrived to Amestris at the same time, even when they had left together.

Once they met Helen discovered everything Itziar had gone through, and in exchange Helen told her story too.

It became obvious that it had been the Elric's failed attempt at resurrecting their mother, when the two of them and Helen had had to face the 'Gate' that Itziar had made her arrival to that same world, except that she wasn't in Rizenbul, but in South City. She lived about half a year in the streets, until the crazy scientist captured her and she passed the other half of the year being used as the subject of the experiments.

But, either for good or for bad, neither of the girls had any idea as to what exactly those man's experiments had been about, what it was he had continuously injected Itziar; and at least Itziar had no interest whatsoever of finding out.

So, both girls were eleven-years-old, even when for the adults they were still eight and ten; and they didn't say a thing to correct them.

Many times Helen wished she could go back to Amestris, if only to let Ed and Al know she was alright; but she couldn't return, she had a feeling she would need Itziar's assistance to do it; and it was plain obvious the other girl didn't even want to think about returning.

.---.

About two years or so passed without much change. Itziar and Helen would see each other once in a while but they couldn't really be considered friends as the only thing they had in common was something one of them hated to remember.

The next turn in the lives came a day when Helen woke up feeling something was happening. That she was needed someplace and the only place she could think where she could be needed was…Amestris.

She thought about it for a long time, she really didn't want to bother Itziar, it seemed like the girl had finally gotten over the whole torture-thing and was going on with her life. But there came a moment when she couldn't handle the sensation anymore and decided to at least give it a try with Itziar.

Even after such a long time Helen didn't yet know where the girl lived so she decided to walk aimlessly and see if she could find her. She was lucky.

Itziar was standing in the park, near the Kiosk, dressed casually, she had let her hair grow to her waist and kept it back in a loose ponytail.

Helen thought that Itziar wasn't the only one who had let her hair grow a bit; she herself had done the same and her brunette hair now reached below her shoulder-blades, not much but enough for her to put it in two braids; with the exception of her fore bangs, which were in a lighter tone.

"Itziar…" Helen called.

"Hey." Itziar replied in English, just between them or in class they would use than language, she talked, yet she never took her eyes off the Kiosk. "I knew you would be coming."

"Eh?" Helen was slightly confused.

"You felt it too, didn't you?" Itziar guessed. "That strange sensation…the call from the other world…from Amestris…"

"Yes. I felt it."

"I knew it. They're calling us back. Something big must be happening in Amestris and they want us to go back."

"How are you so sure?"

"I don't know, I just do. Same as with you."

"Mhm." Helen could feel it too. "And, are you willing to go back?"

"I think this doesn't really have to do with me being willing or not. This isn't about wanting or liking something, this is about our help being needed. It doesn't matter how much I may fear that place, nor how much I hate the memories I have of it; denying help to those that are in need of it is something I will never do."

Helen couldn't help but smile, that girl was really something special. Not many were willing to risk so much and sacrifice themselves that much, for people they didn't know well, or just didn't know at all.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Itziar asked finally turning around. "Lets go to our homes, get whatever we might need ready, and we'll meet here at midnight."

Helen nodded.

And each girl went their way.

.---.

They had a hard time getting out of their respective homes that night, because even when they had lived for thirteen years or so already, for their parents Helen was still ten years old and Itziar twelve.

Somehow in the end they managed to make it to the main plaza without being stopped by their families or by any passerby; something that would have meant trouble for both of them.

Luckily by that time the people had already left the plaza, meaning they wouldn't be having any problem with someone seeing them vanish into a black-hole.

"Ready?" Helen asked Itziar.

"As ready as I'll ever be." The other girl replied. "Lets do it."

So, Helen clapped and then put her hands in Itziar's shoulders, almost as if she were trying to do alchemy.

"¡Queremos ir a Amestris (We want to go to Amestris!)!" Itziar called in Spanish, trying to imitate what had happened when they returned.

Once more a black hole appeared under their feet, but unlike the previous times, this time they knew exactly what was happening and welcomed the sensation with open arms.

.---.

That time they appeared neither in Rizenbul nor in South City, but next to a road in what Itziar called 'the middle of nowhere'. After making sure that their luggage had traveled along with them they began walking. Their luggage consisted basically of some changes of clothes, a big water bottle and some food.

The girls traveled that way for several days until they reached East City. In that time they had made some decisions: Helen wasn't going back to the militia, at least not until she found the Elric brothers and found out what had been of them; they would both try to keep a low profile; and they wouldn't act openly until they knew exactly what the situation was.

Things were like that for several months. With Helen and Itziar traveling from one place to another, doing temporal jobs to earn money and pay for their necessities, and helping anyone in need; never giving their names, and doing their best to prevent people from finding out the kind of abilities they possessed.

Eventually they decided to risk a trip to Central City so they could survey the situation from a closer spot.

To that point they knew Ed and Al where alive and alright, still working together for Colonel Mustang. After the incident that night, all that time ago, the Weaver Alchemist was declared as 'Lost in Action', which was as good as being declared dead. The only ones who knew about Itziar's existence were the Elric brothers, and for the looks of it, they hadn't said a word about her to anyone else.

After their arrival to Central they found a modest inn and checked in, deciding to stay a week, two at the most, and then leave with as much information as they managed to get in that time. They couldn't risk staying longer than that or they could be discovered.

.---.

They had been in Central City for a week and a couple of days when one night, as they took a late stroll, they noticed something going on.

"That's Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes." Helen commented when seeing a man running down a nearby street, closely followed by a woman.

"And the one following him isn't human." Itziar added.

"What do you mean?" Helen asked, "How do you know that?"

"I thought I had already told you never to ask 'How', because most of the times I don't know." Itziar reminded her. "She may look human, but she has no soul."

"Then that may mean Hughes is in trouble." Helen said. "We gotta help him."

And with that they sprinted off after them.

Recently after the girl's return to Amestris they discovered her levitating and telekinesis had returned, and she seemed to have more abilities like feeling presences, arranging things and other kind of stuff without even using alchemy. They believed those may be the effects of whatever it was the crazy scientist had been injecting into her bloodstream right before she managed to return to their own world. Itziar hadn't even wanted to think about that, she was just glad something good was coming from that awful time.

Suddenly they could hear a gunshot, and the sound of a body falling to the ground.

Helen didn't even stop to think about it, she clapped once, joined her finger tips for a moment and then extended both hands, all ten automail 'nails' seemed to grow right then, like the time with Lyla, and she stabbed Maes's shooter from the back.

That was another thing they had noticed when getting to Amestris, how Helen had once more her automail hands instead of her bone-and-flesh ones. She didn't give that much of a thought either and quickly got used to it like before.

However, Helen didn't get the effect she had been expecting, as the woman, or whatever that thing really was, healed itself fairly quickly.

Then it was Itziar who intervened, she extended both hands and concentrated her telekinesis, the being was sent away several feet and crashed hard against a pole.

"One movement in false and you'll be dead." Itziar threatened.

"Really?" Suddenly the 'woman', changed to a man in short dark clothes and with long and spiky dark-green hair. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Like this!" Again Itziar made him hit the pole. "Don't dare me because I could break your neck with just a movement of my hand."

It seemed that the 'being' believed her, or if not at least was a bit surprised by her abilities and decided to leave.

"Itziar!" Helen called. "This is bad."

Itziar immediately returned to her friend's side. Maes Hughes had been shot in the stomach and was bleeding to dead, pretty fast.

"Can you do something about it?" Helen asked.

"I don't know." Itziar answered. "But it's worth the try."

Itziar took off a glove; she had been using them since finding out what she provoked when she touched something.

Slowly Itziar extended a hand to Hughes side, the moment she touched him there was a lilac glow she was already getting familiar with. Suddenly it seemed as if Maes's blood were going back into his body (something quite gross actually), the wound slowly began closing. But she never managed to finish it, or to even see if she was capable of finish healing such a terrible wound; as right then they heard a lot of sounds, the militia had arrived.

"Itziar…" Helen called.

"I'm afraid this is as much as I can do, at least for now." Itziar said tired. "The sounds broke my concentration and it tired me to use my telekinesis on that thing, whatever it was."

"Alright." Helen nodded. "At least we know he's alive. We should leave now. Before anyone finds us here."

Itziar nodded, put the glove back on and then both of them ran away.

"Things are going on here, big things." Itziar commented when they were at a safe distance. "And it seems your two friends are in the middle of it all."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Helen replied thoughtfully. "But no matter what the dangers may be I made a promise to them years ago. And I'll keep it, no matter what."

"I'm with you, you know that." Itziar assured, then switched to Spanish. "Amiga… (Friend)"

"Gracias, amiga (Thanks, friend)." Helen replied with a smile.

* * *

And so the second part of this adventure begins! 

Please! I'm doing the best I can! Please leave me some reviews!


	6. Alliances

**Chapter 5. Alliances **

After the incident with Maes Hughes and the inhuman 'thing' that tried to kill him it became obvious to the two girls they couldn't stay in Central City so they made their bags and took the first train away.

After wandering some weeks they finally ended up in a city in the middle of a desert, near the East border, it was called Lior, and they were certainly having some trouble there.

The day Helen and Itziar arrived they passed by a half-destroyed house and could see how a few soldiers were pointing their guns against a woman with dark eyes, brown hair, pink fore bangs, dressed in simple clothes.

This time Itziar was the one with the initiative. She extended both hands into the room through the window hole, a second later the soldiers were laying unconscious against the walls after having hit their heads, their guns floated out of their reach.

"Eh?" The young woman turned to look at the newcomer with doubt.

Helen could see how she did her best to keep the children around her safe.

"Calm down." Helen said. "We're not here to hurt you."

Itziar jumped into the room through the window, took off a glove and then passed her hand over all the children and the young woman, healing any wound they might have.

"See?" Itziar asked after getting her glove on again. "We don't want to hurt any of you. We came to help you in any way we can."

"What did you do to those soldiers?" The woman asked.

"Oh, that?" Itziar asked. "It's called telekinesis, and I really don't know how to explain it but to say I moved them with my mind. Don't worry, if they want to retaliate later I'll take full responsibility of what happened."

"And don't forget me." Helen piped in. "I wasn't once given the alias of Weaver Alchemist for nothing."

"Weaver Alchemist?" The young woman asked suddenly. "Are you friends with Edward and Alphonse Elric?"

"Yes!" Helen exclaimed immediately. "Do you know them?"

"Yes." The woman nodded. "I met them some months ago, they came here on a mission. Oh, by the way, my name is Roze."

"I am Helen, Helen Calher." The honey-eyed said smiling warmly. "My friend here next to me is Itziar Carrey."

"But when Ed and Al talked about you, they said you had left some years ago." Roze said thoughtfully. "They said you had disappeared during a mission, just a few months after you became State Alchemist."

"That I did." Helen agreed. "But I'm back now, both Itziar and I are. I want you to understand I'm not here as a State Alchemist, but just as someone who has special abilities and wishes to use them to help as many people as possible."

"Same with me." Itziar added.

"Then you're most welcome with us." Roze said with a grateful smile. "We certainly need as much help as we can possibly get."

Helen and Itziar nodded.

That set it. By that night Helen and Itziar were installed in a humble room in one of the few buildings that still stood in Lior.

Things were certainly bad in that city, but Helen and Itziar were optimistic girls, they always believed everything would be alright in the end.

At first the people were renitent of letting two foreigners help, especially ones who looked so young still, but when seeing what they could do…they were fascinated.

However, Helen and Itziar refused to use their abilities to attack those who still believed in the false priest, they only used them to protect and heal everyone they could.

Things continued that way for a few weeks, until a certain man arrived to town. He demanded to talk with whoever was in charge of the town in that moment, and the villagers directed him to where the women lived with some children: they were Roze, Itziar, Helen and another girl who had arrived just some days before, her name was Lyla.

In fact Helen was about to jump against Lyla the moment she saw her entering Lior, until the short-dark haired woman explained she had changed a lot in those years and wanted nothing more than to help others, just like Helen and Itziar.

There was something in her words Itziar didn't fully believe, but as Lyla's great ability with alchemy was a real help for them all she decided to keep her opinions to herself until she had proofs of her suspicions.

"Sacred Mother, Celestial Ladies…" A villager said from the door. "There's a man here that wishes to speak to you."

Sacred Mother…Celestial Ladies…those were the titles Roze, Helen and Itziar had been given shortly after their arrival. Even if Roze didn't have any abilities at all, the people of Lior knew her, trusted her, it made things all the easier.

"Who is it?" Lyla asked for them.

Another thing in them was the fact that the trio of young women rarely, if ever, spoke directly to the villagers, it seemed to make things even more mystic. So Lyla was like an intermediary between them.

"He didn't give any name." The man said. "But he's been going all around Lior, searching for whoever is in charge. Apparently the people have directed him to you."

Lyla turned to the other three, expecting some reaction. Finally Roze and Helen nodded, that was enough for the villager to go get the man.

Less than a minute later a man covered in a brown cloak and wearing dark glasses entered the room with the four women.

"So, you're the ones in charge of this city?" The man asked raising a brow, not too convinced by what he was seeing.

The four women were dressed in simple clothing, and all of them, with the exception of Lyla were covered by white cloaks.

"They are." Lyla answered for the other three. "The Sacred Mother and her Celestial Ladies. If you've been around Lior long enough you must know to what they owe such titles."

"Can't they speak for themselves?" The man asked.

"The ladies don't speak unless they feel the situation calls for it." Lyla declared calmly. "And before they can decide if this situation requires their voice to be heard, they must know who it is they're talking with."

"I'm someone who's interested in the welfare of this town." The man assured them seriously. "Just like all of you, I want to help. I want to make sure this city won't face the same doom as Ishbal all those years ago…"

"Ishbal?" Helen suddenly spoke. "You know of Ishbal?"

"I do." The man nodded.

"You…"It was then that Helen took in his characteristics. "You're Ishbalan!"

And it became obvious right then, he had dark skin, crimson eyes, hard factions, and the most noticeable thing was a scar on his forehead.

"You're the man everyone's talking about in Central City!" Itziar jumped onto her feet. "Scar! You're the one who's been murdering the State Alchemists!"

"What?!" That statement immediately put Helen on high alert.

Roze too seemed scared but didn't say a thing.

"What's brought you to Lior?" Helen asked, doubtful.

"You're her, aren't you?" Scar suddenly discovered her. "The one who used to hang out with the Elric brothers, the only girl that has ever become a State Alchemist…"

"Yes." Helen nodded, not too sure of what would be happening afterwards.

Scar had barely given a couple of steps towards the girl when he suddenly discovered he was incapable of moving.

"Don't even try it." Itziar said seriously. "You won't hurt anyone as long as I'm here because I won't let you. We've heard about you, about what you do to those who are State Alchemists and I really think it's ridiculous you condemn all of those alchemists who work for the militia just because of what some of them did to your people so long ago. Vengeance will not give you the satisfaction you're looking for, it will just destroy your soul."

"You speak like someone that knows." Scar commented.

"I would." Itziar said melancholically. "Considering that most of what I can do is consequence of an experiment some sick bastard did with me. Yet I didn't kill that man, nor do I want to kill every scientist just because of what one did to me."

"Save your sermons." Scar told her a bit coldly. "I won't change my mind. However, I'm here to offer you my help, it'll be your decision whether you take it or not."

"Of course n…" Helen began.

"We will." Itziar interrupted.

"What?" Helen asked confused.

"At least I will help you, under one condition." Itziar declared seriously. "Whatever your true purpose is, you won't hurt Helen, or the Elric brothers. Deal?"

"Deal." Scar agreed.

"Itziar, why did you agree?" Helen asked.

"I know you may not like it." Itziar replied. "But I wanted to guarantee your safety and your friends'. You may be considered as good as death by the militia, but this man knows you are still the Weaver Alchemist, in one way or the other. And…I do believe that despite his crimes his help would be really useful for us all."

"What do you think Miss Roze?" Lyla asked.

"I don't know this man." Roze said. "But I trust Helen's and Itziar's opinions, I'll back them up in whatever they decide."

"If he tries something against us you know we can stop him easily." Itziar assured Helen.

"Alright." Helen finally agreed. "We'll do it."

That set it. Scar would be working with them.

.---.

Some days later the young women went to make their nightly stroll. Roze, escorted by Helen and Itziar, and followed by Lyla would walk through the city in silence. If they found someone who needed their help they would give it and then go on. It was normal for a lot of people to congregate in the streets as they passed by, especially those who had in their family someone who was wounded or sick. So wearing simple dresses, gloves, simple shoes and fully covered in white cloaks, they went walking.

They, however, weren't expecting the certain someone who had arrived to the town just some minutes earlier undercover.

Edward Elric arrived as a spy, he had to discover what was going on in Lior and report it to his superiors who were waiting in a nearby city. However, when he saw Roze he was completely shocked, even more when a certain man stopped him from approaching the 'Sacred Mother' and he recognized him as Scar.

They quickly got to an ally.

"Gonna try to kill me again?" Ed asked getting on guard.

"No." Scar answered.

"Eh?" Ed was confused by that answer. "Why not?"

"Because I made a deal with someone that I wouldn't hurt you, or your brother or a friend of hers and in exchange she would help me." Scar answered.

"Who would make such a deal with you?" Ed asked, not too convinced.

Right then they were interrupted, two beings had appeared, homunculi, they were Lust and Gluttony; they wanted to kill Ed so he wouldn't stop Scar, though of course the Full Metal Alchemist wasn't going to make it easy for them.

Lust used her enlarged nails, almost like claws, to attack Ed, and he managed to evade them, though it wasn't easy for him.

A moment came when Gluttony interfered, made Ed lose his balance and fall to the ground along with Scar. They wouldn't be able to move before Lust made her attack, but right then another group of 'nails' interfered.

"Don't you dare touch him!" A female voice yelled.

Ed was surprised when he saw one of them women with the white cloaks running to them, her automail hand could be easily seen, still with the nails enlarged. Ed was shocked, he believed he recognized that attack but didn't dare get his hopes too high.

"And who exactly do you think you are, girl?" Lust asked. "You don't have the power to stop us and you know it."

"And what about me?" A second voice called.

And before Lust and Gluttony could know what was happening they were sent backwards and crashed hard against one of the wall and the pipes attached to it.

"Are you alright?" The second cloaked one ask, and to Ed's surprise she was talking to Scar.

"Just fine." Scar answered getting on his feet. "As you can see I've kept my end of the deal and the brat is still intact."

"I'm glad." The cloaked woman, Itziar of course, said. "I too have been helping you; but I fear that before we can go on with the plan we'll need to get rid of those 'things'."

"Things?" Ed asked. "Don't you know it? They're homunculi."

"So that's the name." Itziar said. "Not that I really care or anything. They're not human, they don't have a heart nor a soul, so for me, they're 'things'. Scar…"

That was enough, he brought out a locket and showed it to Lust, making her too shocked to move and Gluttony decided to take her away.

"You're the one who made a deal with Scar?" Ed asked to Itziar angrily.

"Yes, it was me." Itziar nodded. "You have a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Ed said angrily. "How could you make a deal with a killer that…"

"Ed, stop it." The first one called him.

Ed was too shocked to continue arguing, he believed he could recognize that voice; he turned to look at her and just stared, not able to pronounce a word.

"Yes Ed." Helen nodded, understanding what he was thing. "It's me…Helen…"

* * *

Cliffhanger!!! Oh god how I love cliffhangers…Scratch that. How I love to Make cliffhangers (because I certainly hate it when a story I'm reading has them), but then, that's what makes stories interesting, isn't it? 

My thanks to whoever is still reading this, I'm still updating, I haven't yet lost hope of receiving a bit more reviews for each chapter.

This story is already finished guys! That means that if you review you don't have to wait for my muse to get me to work because I already have done it all! Please read and review!!

Ja ne!


	7. Happy Reunions

**Chapter 6. ****Happy Reunions **

Helen and Itziar guided Ed to where they stayed, despite Scar's complains. There they met with Roze and Lyla, who were getting worried over them.

"What's happening?" Ed finally asked. "Helen, where have you been? When did you return? Why didn't you look for me and Al?"

"Calm down Edward Elric, and everything will be explained." Itziar assured him.

And so the explanations began. Helen told her friend everything that had happened since she disappeared that night, to the date. She also explained Itziar's situation and why they all had accepted to make the deal with Scar.

Ed shared what information he had about the homunculi, how they were created out of a failed attempt at human transmutation, and finally his suspicions of there being someone who was controlling them.

Helen and Itziar both added what little they knew about everything, and their encounter that night several months ago, when one of the homunculi had tried to murder Maes Hughes. Ed was extremely happy when he learnt it was thanks to his friend and the other girl that the man had been saved.

However Ed was beyond shocked when he learnt that Scar didn't pretend to use the villagers' lives to create the Philosopher's Stone, but the soldiers'. He didn't agree with the idea, but there was nothing he could do against the hate Itziar, Scar and even Roze seemed to have for the militaries.

"I'm afraid I have little say in this matter, Ed." Helen said sadly. "The most I can do is tell you to warn your friends. Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, don't let them enter Lior no matter what. Only then they will be safe."

"Why don't you stop them Helen?" Ed asked. "You're a State Alchemist too?"

"Technically no." Helen replied. "I know they declared me as 'L.I.A.' when I didn't return to HQ that night. And many things are going on in the militia, too many people that aren't who they say they are. Or how else do you think Mr. Hughes almost died? That wasn't an accident, he discovered things someone didn't want him to find out, and he was shot because of that. It was lucky Itziar and I were around that night, or else he wouldn't have lived to tell the tale."

"And exactly how could she save him?" Ed asked.

"I'm the incomplete Philosopher's stone." Itziar declared to everyone's surprise.

"Itziar…" Helen began.

"You know it's true Helen." Itziar cut her. "We recently discovered, thanks to Scar I may add, that what that crazy man injected to me all those months was an artificial philosopher's stone in its liquid state; now my veins are full of that liquid, that power runs through them instead of blood. You could say that my bloodstream is very much like Scar's tattooed arm."

"So you too want to create the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed asked.

"I only want to get rid of these powers I don't understand, nor can I control." Itziar answered sincerely. "And I believe that me creating the Philosopher's Stone would also help you, your brother and of course Helen. If you make that question because you believe I have any interest in the power of that stone, then you're very wrong."

Ed didn't know what to say anymore.

"It's your decision in the end Edward." Itziar said seriously. "If you wish, you can help us, if not, then better get out of our way."

And that was the end of their conversation.

.---.

The following morning, Ed could see through the window of the place where he had been told to stay in what was left of the main plaza stood Roze, Itziar and Scar.

For what Ed could hear Scar seemed to be telling something to the villagers about them not answering to the provocation of the militia, if they remained calm and faithful then the wrath of God would fall upon their attackers. And as if to prove the words he raised a hand to Roze, who took it silently, and then Scar touched a nearby rock with his other hand, destroying it completely, making it look as if he had used Roze's powers.

"Humans can destroy." Itziar spoke, shocking almost everyone, as she always remained silent. "But only those chosen by God can heal. I know that what we're asking of you may seem like something really hard, but know that every effort shall always be rewarded."

And as if to give more effect to her words she got on her knees to reach a boy with a wounded arm, quickly she took off her glove and touched the boy; there was a brief lilac glow and then the boy was jumping and running all around, saying his arm had been fully healed.

"I don't believe it correct to use that kind of tricks on people." Ed said.

"Who says they're tricks?" Ed was surprised when suddenly seeing Helen right next to him. "I thought you had understood it last night Ed. Itziar really has the gift of healing, she's in fact able to do quite a lot of things with the power running through her veins. We're not doing any kind of tricks here, we're only helping this people. We're giving them something to believe in, and a reason to believe in it. We're giving them back the hope they had lost."

"Helen…" Ed turned serious all of a sudden. "Are you really in favor of Scar's plan?"

"As I say, I don't like the idea of killing anyone." Helen admitted. "But if it is needed to save those I care for, I accept it."

"But they're humans!"

"Humans…that term can be tricky, you know? Homunculi are said not to be humans because even when they have a body and a brain, they don't have a soul; yet I've seen some 'so called humans' who are supposed to have it and don't act like it, they care about others' lives even less than those homunculi." She sighed sadly. "I know you have heard some people say Al isn't human, just because he doesn't have a body. But for you, and for me, he'll always be a human, won't he?"

"Yes." Ed nodded, apparently beginning to understand what she meant.

"Being human goes beyond looking like one, inside or outside. Being human is about acting like one; about being more than a savage creature, about showing you reason with your mind and that you feel with your heart. I've seen many who call themselves humans, yet they don't have that, like the ones involved in the Ishbalan war…and all of those who go on killing each other every day."

"Oh Helen…"

"I returned to this world to help Ed; you, Al, and anyone else that may need me. Will you help me now that I need you?"

"Of course I will. I will always help you…Amiga…"

Helen smiled to him too.

.---.

The real problems began that very same night, when the Crimson Alchemist and a group of chimeras attacked the city.

"We can't let them take over." Roze said, worried for the people.

"We won't." Itziar said, taking over leadership. "Scar and I will stop them. Roze, Lyla, you must guide the people through the tunnel we have prepared. Helen, Edward, please, make sure they aren't attacked in the process."

"Are you sure you'll be alright, Itziar?" Helen asked worriedly.

"Yes." Itziar nodded. "Besides, we all know I have to remain in Lior for the plan to work like we want it to."

"So you're really going to do it?" Ed asked.

"It's already started, we can't back up now." Itziar said for all answer.

"Hurry up." Scar called to her.

With that Itziar made sure her body was fully covered and she ran out behind Scar.

"You think it's a good idea for them to go fight alone?" Roze asked Helen.

"I'm not completely sure." Helen admitted. "But they're both really powerful, they won't go down that easily."

"If my letter gets to them in time, we won't have anything to fear at all." Ed assured them.

Earlier he had managed to convince Helen of sending a boy with a letter to Colonel Mustang so he would know it was dangerous for the soldiers to enter Lior and it would be in their best interest not to. He could just hoped the letter got there in time.

.---.

Disaster couldn't be avoided, no matter how much they all tried. Scar and Itziar split, each trying to cover a half of the city, leaving the center unprotected, hoping that Helen and Ed would be enough there.

However, they weren't expecting the appearance of the Crimson Alchemist, Itziar didn't even know who he was. She just saw a man that touched a villager and made it explode, then he moved to the next, but she was faster, a quick move of her wrist and the attacker was sent a few feet away.

"Run!" Itziar told the people. "Stick to the plan!"

"Celestial lady!" One of the women called to her. "Please help my son."

Itziar immediately took off one of her gloves, touched the child, immediately the burns he had gotten on a side and a leg healed.

"Go on, hurry." Itziar told them when she was done. "Miss Ro…the Sacred Mother is waiting for you at the Cathedral. You must leave the city immediately."

"We will my lady, may the gods bless you for your kindness." The woman said carrying her son and running away.

"So, it seems you're not a normal alchemist." Kimblee commented. "No, of course not, a normal alchemist wouldn't be able to do what you just did."

"Truth be told." Itziar said seriously. "I'm no alchemist at all."

"And you suppose you'll be able to defeat me?" Kimblee said cockily.

"Maybe yes, maybe not; we're about to find out." Itziar said sarcastically.

Truth is she had the sickening feeling that she wasn't strong enough for that man, but as long as the citizens were safe, she would be happy. Besides, that man had no idea of just the real power that was inside of her.

Itziar tried to use her telekinesis, but Kimblee managed to get away from it. He got to her and slashed at her arm. As a consequence her glove ripped, a cut appeared in her arm, but it wasn't long before it healed completely.

"Just what are you?" Kimblee asked in shock.

It was then that Itziar noticed that his arm was burnt, apparently her blood had provoked it.

"Wouldn't you love to know?" Itziar said, getting more reassurance. "Lets just say I'm a freak, result of the work of another freak. Happy with that?"

"No." Kimblee replied.

"Then I'm sorry, because that's the most I'll tell you." Itziar replied.

And with that she hit the ground with her ungloved hand. Immediately stakes seemed to grow out of the ground, but her opponent managed to dodge them.

"Interesting…" Kimblee commented cockily. "You know, I would love to stay here, with you, and find out just how many more things you're capable of doing, but I have a mission to fulfill here so…"

"You won't be able to fulfill it." Itziar said with a grin. "By now up to the last Lior citizen has left the city, you won't be able to kill any of them. And even if you did, you've already seen it, they won't attack you, they won't give you an excuse to repeat what you did in Ishbal all those years ago!"

"So, that was your plan, eh?" Kimblee said. "Very well, I suppose I can kill you now."

With that Kimblee moved in for the kill, but before he even managed to lay a finger on her he impacted with something, or rather someone else, and was thrown to the ground.

"Scar!" Itziar recognized her savior immediately.

"Leave." Scar ordered her.

"¡¿Qué (What)?!" Out of shock Itziar spoke in Spanish. "No way. What about the plan?"

"One Philosopher Stone will be enough." Scar told her. "You may keep it for all I care. And besides, we don't even know what will happen to you if you remain here when the circle is finally activated."

"You planned this since the beginning, didn't you?" Itziar asked. "You never expected me to stay here as well."

"That's right." Scar admitted. "I have nothing to lose, but you do. Now go."

After some seconds of doubt Itziar finally accepted and ran, leaving Scar to handle Kimblee, she supposed he would want revenge for what the Crimson Alchemist had done all those years ago to his people.

.---.

Helen and Ed ran through the city streets after making sure Roze and the rest of the villagers had left the city. They planned on getting Scar and turning him in to the authorities, and that way make a deal with the military, make them leave the people of Lior in peace.

However they changed their minds when they saw all the soldiers about to enter the city.

"Didn't you send the letter?" Ed asked turning to Helen.

"I did." Helen replied. "Something must be terribly wrong here."

With that they both seemed to forget about Scar and ran to the outskirts of the city in a final intent of stopping the tragedy that was coming.

"Don't!" Ed yelled at them. "Don't let the troops enter Lior!"

"Full Metal, so you're alive after all." The one who appeared to be the leader, Frank Archer commented. "Good thing you're out. We're about to send our troops."

"But you can't do that." Ed insisted.

"Soldiers!" Frank called ignoring everyone. "Be prepared for a possible ambush. Capture all the citizens and kill anyone who resists. Go!"

"Didn't you hear a thing Ed said to you?!" Helen yelled pissed off. "If those soldiers get into the city they'll die irremediably!"

"And who exactly do you think you are girl?" Frank asked disdainfully.

"Someone who's trying to stop you from getting your men killed!" Helen replied simply.

She wasn't willing to tell him her name, nor the fact that she was, or at least used to be a State Alchemist; and even if she did, he surely outranked her so it wouldn't make any difference.

"Come on Ed." Helen said turning to her friend. "If this imbécil doesn't at least try to save his men, we will."

Ed nodded and went behind her.

Frank just stayed there a bit confused, he knew the girl had insulted him, but as he didn't know the language he had no idea of what exactly she had said to him.

Helen and Ed ran to stop the men but their attention was sidetracked when they noticed Itziar walking by the limits of the city.

"Itziar!" Helen called to her.

But it was as if right then something snapped inside of Itziar, she clutched her chest hard and gasped, she seemed to be in deep pain.

"Itziar?!" Ed and Helen both yelled at her, extremely worried.

"Something's wrong." They managed to hear Itziar. "Get everyone out of the city, now!"

And without further word she turned around and ran back inside.

Helen wanted to go after her and find out what was wrong, but she knew they priority should be to stop Scar from achieving what he wanted, and to manage that they needed to get the soldiers out of the city before the transmutation circle was activated.

"Ed, stop the soldiers from going in." Helen indicated. "I'll try to get out as many as I can."

Normally Ed would have argued her wanting to be in charge, but he knew it was nor the place nor the time to do such thing.

Both clapped their hands at the same time, the difference being that while Edward touched the ground to make a sand-wall appear in front of the soldiers to block their path, Helen extended her hands and threads emerged from the tips of her fingers, immediately getting a hold on the nearest soldiers and the pulling them back out, her strength was obvious, and also the strength of her automail-hands.

They repeated the same maneuvers until Ed made sure no more soldiers were entering and Helen's threads could reach no more of the soldiers who were already inside the city.

"What do you think you're doing!" Archer yelled at them.

He was in the very limits of Lior, Helen hadn't dared use her threads of him, as she had no idea what he may be capable of doing.

"Those threads…" One of the younger soldiers commented. "You're the Weaver Alchemist!"

Ed turned to look at her friend, worried.

"Well, someone was bound to find out sooner or later." Helen said calmly.

Archer was about to say something else when suddenly they could all see a brilliant red light consume the city of Lior, followed by a piercing scream.

"Itziar!!" Helen cried out in sudden panic.

.---.

Inside Itziar ran as fast as she could, something had gone wrong, she knew it, as Scar had in his arms the same power she did in her blood she could feel the moment there was a change, even if she didn't know what exactly that change was about.

She ran until she reached a bifurcation. In one side she found something that made her gasp, it was Scar, he was laying on the ground, limp, no life energy was emanating from him, he was obviously dead. And the other side, an almost fully black Alphonse laid unmoving, though his energy could still be felt, and she could see his armor covered in black tattoos.

"Al…" Itziar began.

Right then the transmutation circle activated, a blinding red light consumed everything around Itziar, and she could feel her blood boiling like so many times before.

"Ahhhhh!!!" Itziar cried out in deep pain.

* * *

I'm back!!! After a bit over a month. And believe me, I was thinking of letting you wait some weeks more at least; but in the end I decided that even if just one person at a time is leaving me a review then I should keep updating. I hope sooner or latter I'll begin receving more reviews from you people. 

But well, I hope you liked the cliffhanger, if not you can always review sooner and I just might hurry and let you get the next chapter. If not you'll just have to wait.

Thanks to those who have expressed their support (as few as you are).

See you in the next update


	8. The Philosopher's Stone

**Chapter 7. ****The Philosopher's Stone **

The light finally died out, Helen and Ed slowly uncovered their eyes. Almost in front of them laid Frank Archer, his body all bloody, or at least what was left of it, as almost his full right side was 'missing'.

"Itziar!" Helen yelled as soon as she got to her feet.

"Stay…where you are…" Archer ordered her.

"You don't give me orders." Helen hissed at him.

"Oh but I do, I outrank you girl." Archer reminded her.

"Not anymore." Helen brought out her silver watch and threw it to the sand. "I will no longer be a puppet in your stupid game."

With that both she and Ed got into what until some seconds ago was Lior and began searching for Itziar, they didn't want to accept she could be dead. Not then, not ever.

"Al!" Edward called.

Helen turned in time to see Ed moved some sand to find Al.

"Al!" Helen called to him. "Did you see Itziar?"

"No." Al answered honestly. "But I could hear her scream. She didn't seem to be far from me. So, she must be around here somewhere."

Suddenly Al felt like an invisible tug, he followed the feeling to a certain spot some yards to a side and once then he broke into the sand and then brought his hands back out, bringing with him a semi-unconscious Itziar.

"Itziar!" Helen called out happily.

"Don't." Itziar's sudden words stopped the other girl before being hugged.

"What's wrong Itziar?" Ed asked, surprised by the other girl's attitude.

"Neither you nor Helen must touch me, Al neither." Itziar replied.

"But why?" Helen asked.

"Because we're now Philosopher's Stones." Itziar sentenced with a tone of finality.

"Is that true, brother?" Ed asked turning to Al.

For all answer Al opened slightly his armor by the front and showed to him the red stone that now occupied the space inside.

"Oh por todos los cielos…(Oh for all heavens…)" Helen gasped in complete shock.

"How come he's the Philosopher's Stone and not Scar?" Ed asked.

"Scar is dead." Itziar explained. "But before he died apparently he passed all the power he had in his arm to Al."

"So, we see the red stone inside Al's armor, we know he's the stone, in a sense." Helen said trying to remain calm. "But, how are you sure You are another stone?"

"Because I feel it, in my blood." Itziar answered. "And in this…"

Before any of the others could say anything Itziar clapped once and then held her hands as if it were a cup, immediately water began appearing in her hands and eventually spilling down the sides and to the sand.

Out of curiosity Helen put her own hands below Itziar's to take some water into them and then drank it.

"It's real water, pure water." Helen said amazed.

That was enough to leave them all thoroughly surprised. Not only Itziar had done something that could almost be considered alchemy, when she was no alchemist, but she was making water appear out of thin air, and without giving anything in exchange. She was completely ignoring the law of equivalent exchange.

"You know what this means, right?" Helen said seriously after some moments.

"What?" Al asked.

"You and Itziar technically are Philosopher's Stones now." Helen explained. "And we can't let the militaries get that power in their hands."

"We have to leave before the militaries found out that you've become the Stones and they try to use you." Ed added, understanding Helen's reasoning.

"Then we better leave right away." Itziar said.

They all nodded and set off. Helen turned her head behind to see a soldier picking up the silver clock she had thrown a while before and then went to give it to a man approaching.

"Corran!" Helen slipped into Spanish for a moment. "Run!"

"What?" The brothers were confused. "Why?"

"Mustang and Hawkeye are coming." Helen explained. "If they catch us it'll be our end."

"They won't." Itziar assured them stopping in their race for a moment.

She extended both hands, palms down, then turned them up at the same time she raised them; and as if it were job of her telekinesis what looked like a blanket of sand ascended. She then shook her hands lightly and then sand shot in the direction the soldiers were in.

"What was that?" Al said surprised.

"Just an innocent sandstorm." Itziar answered. "Don't worry, they won't get hurt; it's just to make sure they won't be able to see us leave, nor find any tracks."

"Good idea." The others agreed.

And before any of the soldiers had the chance to know what was going on, they were too far to be seen by any of them.

.---.

The quartet walked for days, practically all day under the terrible sun. Once in a while Itziar would use some of her ability to summon water or a cool wind, and during the night Helen and Ed would create caves out of the sand for them to sleep in. Or sometimes, when the day was just too hot, they would take refuge in the 'caves' during the day, and travel during the night.

The time of travel didn't really matter; they just knew they had to stay away from the militia for as long as they could. Also Ed had insisted that they go to Rizenbul, he said he needed to get something there that would help him fight one of the homunculi.

They took old hidden roads, paths long ago forgotten. Until they finally reached a stream that they knew eventually joined with another one to form the river that passed near the limits of the brothers' hometown.

After some days going through the desert, and almost a week following the river Ed finally announced the rest they should be reaching Rizenbul in a few hours.

That seemed alright until Itziar sensed someone nearby. Their reactions were immediate. Ed transmuted a part of the ground into a camouflage cloth to cover Al with, Itziar levitated to hide in between some branches of a nearby tree, Helen used her threads to also get onto a low branch, while Ed crouched behind the same tree Helen was in.

Ed and the girls could see two men pass by the rocky path next to the river, the one the quartet had been walking by until a moment ago. Though only the State Alchemists identified them as Breda and Falman, part of the team that worked for Mustang.

Everything seemed to be going alright until Ed noticed two others were behind him: Fury and Havoc, the second with his gun pointed at him.

The two soldiers tried to convince Ed of turning himself in but he deftly refused. In a moment of confusion Helen jumped from the tree and used her 'nails' to block Havoc's gun, making it impossible for him to fire.

Itziar then lowered herself to the ground and used her power to make some tree branches tie the two soldiers.

Al was the last to uncover himself. He just excused in the name of the four teens with the two soldiers and then the four went back to running.

Mustang and anyone else would certainly be in for a surprise when they found just what Itziar had done.

Two more soldiers tried to block their path but Edward immobilized them easily. The others never stopped running.

Minutes later even more soldiers tried to block their path. Helen and Ed acted together, joining some rocks to form an enormous one; somehow the Elric brothers and Helen managed to keep their balance on top of it and easily went through the soldiers' lines on top of that. Itziar didn't get on it she just remained levitating right next to them.

Their plan seemed to be working just great until unexpectedly the big rock exploded and they were all sent to the ground painfully.

"¡Por todos los demonios del infierno (For all demons in hell)!" Helen cursed once more in her native tongue as she got back on her feet. "Couldn't you have been a bit kinder Colonel?"

"Are you all alright?" Itziar asked worriedly while lowering herself back to the ground.

The others just nodded.

Ed and Al got back on their feet to, choosing not to comment on the fact that it was effectively the Colonel the one standing before them, along with Hawkeye and some more.

"Why are you running away?" Roy asked authoritatively.

"Ed! Al!" Winry called them from behind the Colonel, she became confused as she recognized one of the girls. "Helen?"

"Winry!" Helen got concerned at seeing her friend tied.

Ed got mad at seeing her as a prisoner of the militaries.

"You're the ones chasing us." Ed answered casually, though he was really mad. "A dog tends to run when being chased."

"A well trained dog never disobeys his master." Roy replied in the same tone.

"Master?" Ed got angry at those words.

"When did you choose to become a stray dog?" Roy asked.

Ed was about to retort something when Helen's hand on his shoulder seemed to stop him.

"Relax Ed." Helen told him. "We all knew this was due to happen. They were bound to catch up with us sooner or later though…the fact that they've caught up 'with us' doesn't mean they have 'caught us'."

"So it is true." Roy said fixating his gaze on Helen. "You're finally back."

"I think it would be stupid to say no as you're seeing me here." Helen said calmly. "But I'll answer you anyway. Yes, I'm here, Colonel…"

"Weaver Alchemist…" Roy called her by her title. "What did the note you left in the silver watch meant?"

"It meant exactly what it said." Helen replied calmly. "'Some things are better left unfound; some secrets are better left unknown.' I expected you to understand those words Colonel; I was hoping you would just leave us alone."

"That I cannot do." Roy refused.

"You must remember it was you who accepted to join the militia so you could achieve your goals." Riza pointed out. "You made that decision, both of you, Edward, Helen."

"I'm not going back to being a dog of the militaries!" Ed exclaimed. "Neither Helen nor I will go back to that."

"So you want to go back to being weak and powerless children?" Roy asked.

"Yeah…whatever." Ed replied.

"If that makes us free, so be it." Helen replied.

"I understand why Edward is doing this, but you Helen?" Riza asked. "You weren't even with us all this time."

"You're right there." Helen nodded. "I wasn't exactly 'around' for a while, but I've been back longer than you may imagine. And about being or not a State Alchemist…the only reason I presented that exam at all was to be with Ed. And so, if he's no longer interested in being part of the militia, why should I?"

Right as she finished that statement Ed used his alchemy to destroy a rock and as a side effect Roy ended up completely soaked, making his gloves useless.

The teens didn't even wait and immediately made their way as fast as they could. Though they didn't really make it that far, a combined attacked from Armstrong and Mustang was sent at them, Itziar barely managed to deflect about half of the attack with her powers, while Al used his own body to shield Helen and Ed as best he could without touching them.

"Is everyone alright?" Al asked.

The others just nodded.

"Don't you think that was a very efficient attack?" Roy said with satisfaction.

"Yeah…" Ed said sarcastically. "I'm sure it worked wonders in Ishbal…"

Roy seemed to be about to make some comment to Ed's words.

Itziar raised her hands and seemed to be preparing to use her telekinesis; she knew that if she used it correctly she should not have a problem to get their path cleared.

"Stop!" It was Winry's words that made them react. "Please…stop…"

"Winry…" Helen and Ed just looked at their friend apologetically.

"Some time ago, I killed two people." Roy suddenly began narrating. "They were doctors who treated allies and enemies the same; even in the battlefield. Some of their patients were our enemies. The High Authorities ordered them to stop, but they refused. And so I was ordered to kill them. Since that day I promised myself I would never again do something without a true reason, even if I had been ordered to. That's why I'm trying to reach a post in which I don't have to do it. I'm not pursuing you because I was ordered to, I'm doing it because I'm really angry with you. Why did you leave without looking for my protection?"

"I think you should give some kind of explanation, Elric brothers, Miss Calher, and the other miss too." Louis Armstrong said.

"Itziar Carrey." The second girl introduced herself.

"You must understand that too many things are going on right now Colonel Mustang." Helen was the first to speak. "We don't know who to trust anymore…"

"You didn't believe you could trust me?" Roy asked, getting even angrier at that.

"It's not you we can't trust, but those who outrank you." Helen muttered, not knowing exactly how to explain it.

"King Bradley is a homunculus." Ed blurted out the truth right then.

The shock was so great that for some moments no one talked at all.

Helen considered the fact of taking that opportunity to run away, but finally she didn't.

"Homunculus is that 'pseudo-human'?" Falman asked doubtful.

"Yes." Ed nodded seriously. "They move the strings of this country with the only finality of getting their own goal: the Philosopher's Stone."

"Impossible." Armstrong denied. "The great General didn't know anything about the Lab. 5 or anything. He's always criticized the acts of the militaries about it!"

"Yeah, and I suppose he didn't know about the bastard who experimented with my blood either." Itziar hissed bitterly.

"What are you talking about?" Riza asked confused.

"I was submitted to some horrendous experiments in a secret lab during six months." Itziar declared. "Some bastard continuously injected the red water into my bloodstream. It went on until Ed, Al and Helen arrived and got me out of there."

"So there was really someone captive in that lab." Roy said fairly surprised. "But in the report there said…"

"That we hadn't found anyone." Ed finished for him. "We didn't see any reason for you to know as she was gone before you arrived, along with Helen."

"Besides." Helen added. "What would you have done have you found her? Locked her in a dark cell until she dies just because she's no longer what you consider a normal human? We would have never allowed something like that to happen."

"Going back to the previous topic." Louis said. "You told us that there was a homunculus that could change his appearance."

"It wasn't Envy." Helen declared confidently.

"The Great General's secretary is a homunculus too." Ed added.

"Assuming that as you say, they're both homunculi; what are they looking for? Why have they infiltrated into the militia?" Riza asked, not quite believing everything.

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of some more soldiers, who Mayor Armstrong managed to get away without much trouble.

The rest continued walking, talking. Eventually came out the topic of Ed's silver watch, how Al lost it, and that there had been red stone in it. That provoked yet another discussion.

"Why was there red stone in my watch?" Ed asked seriously.

"That idiot of Archer." Roy said annoyed. "He surely must have done that to get the power of the transmutations to improve."

"What?" Helen and Ed were between shocked and confused.

"Some time ago," Roy began explaining. "Brigadier General Gran authorized the use of the Red Stone in Ishbal."

"Wait a moment Colonel." Ed interrupted him. "Are you telling me you knew all along that the militaries were trying to make the Philosopher's Stone, yet you said nothing to me?"

"After what happened with Dr. Marco I supposed it was over…" Roy began.

"Yeah." Itziar interrupted sarcastically. "And sure enough that's why I am what I am right now. According to what you're telling us what I went through might have been part of those bastards' plans all along!"

"I didn't know that human lives were needed to create it." Roy continued, pretending not to have heard Itziar.

"How do you expect me to trust you?!" Ed spat at Roy, holding him by the neck of his jacket.

"Brother!" Al called to him.

"You knew the power that thing had and used us to get the Philosopher's Stone!" Ed yelled angrily at him, ignoring his brother's calls.

"Ed, stop." Helen stepped in.

Roy then moved to get Ed off him, the unexpected motion made Helen step backwards before she hit Ed, but she didn't see Al coming from behind her.

A moment of touch…and a flashing red light.

* * *

A cliffhanger! 

Ahhh!!! I'm so frustrated right now. I didn't receive a single review in the previous chapter. Not even one! You have no idea how much that frustrates me...it's the worst thing that I believe can happen to a writer. Argg!!!

Okay, I'm done ranting. Now please, be so kind as to leave a review so I don't get frustrated again and you can get an update sooner. Thank you.


	9. Separations

**Chapter 8. ****Separations **

For a moment the three teens went into panic. After Al had accidentally touched Helen there had been a red flash of light the moment the Stone inside him reacted, he flew backwards and ended up in the river.

"Ed." Winry said fearfully. "Hadn't you said Al couldn't get into the water?"

"Al!" Ed called, fearing the worse.

But right then, and to everyone's surprise Al emerged from the water, he was perfectly well, and seemed very happy at discovering he could float.

Eventually Itziar got into the water and helped him back out, seeing as how she was the only one of the group who could touch him without provoking a reaction like the one that had taken place just a moment before.

"I thought the blood-seal would destroy if you got wet…" Roy commented thoughtfully.

"Yeah…" Ed wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"It seems I won't have to worry about that any longer." Al said happily.

"Es porque él es ahora la Piedra (It's because he's now the Stone)." Itziar spoke in Spanish to prevent the other militaries from understanding what she was saying. "La energía de la Piedra lo protege de cosas que podrían dañarlo, lo mismo pasa conmigo (The energy of the Stone protects him of things that may hurt him, as it does with me)."

"Ya veo (I see)." Ed nodded thoughtfully.

"Debemos tener cuidado (We must be careful)." Helen joined the conversation, while still keeping an eye fixed on the militaries. "Aún y con lo que nos han dicho lo más recomendable sería que no se llegaran a enterar que Al e Itziar tienen la piedra, por seguridad (Even with what they've told us it would be best if they didn't find out Al and Itziar have the Stone, for safety)."

"Estoy de acuerdo (I agree)." Itziar agreed.

The boys just nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile Roy and his team had no idea what the teens were saying. Apparently it had been a good idea for the boys to have learnt another language, that way the teens were able to keep their conversations a secret, even when being right in front of the militaries.

.---.

Soon they all discovered that the surprises weren't over for the day. When they finally made it to the Rockbell house there seemed to be someone waiting for them, or at least for the Elric brothers. It was Hohenheim Elric, their father.

It was plain obvious just how ecstatic Al was to see his father again after so long, opposite to Ed who just plain ignored him.

Pinako convinced them all to stay for dinner, and for a moment Helen felt as if they had gone back to the old days. When she, Winry and Pinako would go into the kitchen together to make something for the boys; and she would have continued with that idea hadn't her eyes fallen upon her automail-hands right then.

Dinner passed with simple conversations that eventually changed into each of the people in the room narrating what they had lived the last months. Though a moment came when Hohenheim and Roy left that conversation and began talking on the porch, both seriously discussing about what they believed should be done.

That conversation however was interrupted when Al emerged from the house to talk with his father. Ed tried to get him back inside, but Al held onto his decision of staying with his father.

Ed was at the same time surprised and slightly hurt by his brother's words and actions as he saw him leaving behind their father.

"I can't believe it…" Ed murmured as he sat on the porch-steps.

"You can't blame Al for wanting to know him, Ed." Helen said softly, sitting next to him.

"What is there to know about him?" Ed asked bitterly. "He abandoned us less than two years after Al was born. He never got to see him talk, walk, learn alchemy. He was never really a father to him, nor to me. Yet it seems that the moment he arrives Al accepts him with open arms, it feels almost as if…"

"Mr. Hohenheim will never take your place in Al's heart, Ed." Helen seemed to be able to guess his thoughts, as always. "You'll always be Al's big brother, just as Mr. Hohenheim will always be his…your father."

"It seems you always know the right thing to say Helen." Ed smiled softly at her.

"I just say what I believe. In fact there's not much I can say about this situation, as I had never before met your father, but I don't think he's a bad person, maybe you should give him one more chance, even if just for Al's sake."

"Ok…I think I can do that."

Helen smiled at him.

And it was then that, unexpectedly, he hugged her, slightly laying his head on her shoulder.

Helen stiffened almost immediately, not because she didn't like it, but because she had never expected something like that from Ed.

"Don't move, at least not yet…" Ed whispered to her softly. "Let us stay like this, even if just for a moment…"

His voice was so soft, caring, almost pleading, there was no way Helen would have been able of telling him no.

.---.

Dawn was breaking, Hohenheim was taking the chance after seeing his son leave to get him some food and he was about to leave the place.

"You will leave again without even saying goodbye?" A female voice asked behind him.

Hohenheim turned around abruptly and almost as a reflex sent a wave of crystal spears against whoever had just spoken.

The person ended up being Itziar, yet she had no difficulty to use a bit of her telekinesis to deflect all the spears.

"What do you think you were doing sneaking on me like that girl?" Hohenheim asked in a frustrated tone. "I could have killed you!"

"Unlikely…" Itziar replied casually. "As you must have noticed already I'm not defenseless, mister. I can take care of myself."

"That I see." Hohenheim agreed. "And even if I can't see, I can feel there's something in you; something that makes you different from common human."

"I'm not a homunculus, if that's what you're implying." Itziar informed him. "But you're right in saying I'm different from a common human. Though I've already repeated the reasons for that too many times for my liking so lets just say that whatever I may be I will always work for the better good."

"Such a young girl, speaking such words… Yet I don't doubt them, I see you're mature and wise beyond your years, just like my sons and that friend of theirs…Miss Calher."

"Helen has been through a lot, many of those things she went through them along with your sons, which is why they're so good friends. My name, in case you're wondering, is Itziar, and even if I haven't known Helen and your sons for as long as they've known each other, I still have known them long enough, and believe me, I have been through enough as well to know what I'm talking about."

"I have no doubt of your words young miss. Yet I certainly doubt you came all the way here to say only that."

"Right you are; though I didn't come to say that much either. I really was only wondering if you were planning on leaving Rizenbul again without even a goodbye note to Ed and Al."

"It matters not. In the end it'll mean the same to them."

"That's were you're wrong Mr. Elric. Ed doesn't hate you as much as he wants everyone to believe, as it seems he's managed to make you think. He's just afraid to love you; 'cause only when we love someone we get the fear of losing them. He fears if he lets himself love you and you leave him again, then it'll hurt him even more than the first time." She sighed. "Helen, Ed. Al and I, we may all talk and act like adults, but deep down we're still children; no matter how much we might have changed on the outside throughout the years, we're still the same."

Hohenheim remained in silence for some long minutes, as if analyzing Itziar's words, until he finally made a decision.

.---.

Sciezka stepped into the dinning room to pass on the message that dinner was ready, but got momentarily sidetracked by the sight that greeted her: Helen was sitting on top of the table, Ed on an armrest of the sofa, Al stood against a nearby wall, while Itziar remained in the middle of the room; they seemed to be discussing something important.

"You've got to give him a chance Edward." Itziar said right then.

"A chance, how can I give him a chance when he's not even here for more than 24 hrs?" Ed asked sarcastically.

"Ed, maybe you should listen to Itziar before you jump to conclusions." Helen suggested.

"Now you're getting on his side too." Ed complained.

"This isn't about taking sides." Helen replied tiredly. "And in case you're wondering, I'm not in his side…and I'm not in yours either. I just think you should get all the facts before you can decide whether you want to give your father a chance or just hate him forever."

"Please brother…" Al murmured pleadingly.

"Fine." Ed finally complied. "What is it you wanted to tell us?"

"I believe he would have written it, but he believed there was no time, and trusted me enough to tell everything to you." Itziar explained. "It's true Mr. Elric left early this morning without even saying goodbye, this is because he's the kind of person that doesn't like farewells, he's the kind of person that doesn't like being overly sentimental. Yet you must never doubt he loves you, both of you, Edward, Alphonse. He believes he may have an idea on who the responsible for all the chaos we're living is…"

"Then why didn't he tell us?!" Ed demanded to know.

"Because he doesn't want you to risk your lives!" Itziar replied. "He didn't get to tell me who this person is, or even if he's a man or a woman; but I believe it is a very powerful alchemist. He doesn't want his sons to try and defeat him and end up hurt, or even dead. A father never wants his children to be in danger, so I think in that point I understand him. I think it's likely he'll try to defeat this alchemist himself, he'll try to ensure your safety."

"But if he does that…" Al said doubtfully. "Doesn't that mean he might be…killed?"

Even Ed reacted at those words, wanting to know the answer.

"I don't know Al, I just don't know." Itziar admitted.

Silence reigned for some seconds.

"But we can't just stay here and do nothing…" Helen murmured.

"And we won't." Ed assured confidently. "Even if it weren't because one of those homunculi is our responsibility, they know Al is now the Philosopher's Stone; I'm not sure if they know about Itziar too. We must defeat them to be sure we'll all be safe again."

"Then that decides it." Helen said satisfied. "Vamos a patear traseros!"

They all laughed at her expression.

Sciezka said nothing to them at all, just seeing the way they talked and acted had been too much of a shock to her.

.---.

They still had to stay in Rizenbul for about a week before they could put their plan into action. After some more discussing they had decided Itziar would remain there, it would be just too dangerous if they were to be attacked for both she and Al to be caught together. Besides, that way she would get a chance to improve her shooting skills, which she had been taught by Riza in those days, though Itziar used small daggers instead of guns; they all believed it would be good for her to have a secondary way to fight. Besides, as no one from the militia except Roy and his team knew who Itziar was, there was no danger for her, at least not yet.

So Edward, Helen and Al got on a train to Dublith, all three under disguise: Al inside a bronze statue, Ed with his hair dyed a dark green and a cark coat, Helen with her hair dyed in a lighter tone of green and wearing a blue dress; they were both using platform shoes, and in Helen's case high-heels too to look considerably taller.

The plan seemed to be working just fine until, right as they arrived to their destination, a group of soldiers got on the train to check everyone. Helen and Ed passed unnoticed thanks to their radical change, but the bronze statue didn't.

When noticing their cover was about to be blown up Helen and Ed took some very drastic measures: they used alchemy to get Al back out and then, taking off their shoes they began running to get away as fast as possible.

But even then, they weren't fast enough, and the soldiers were just too many.

To the brothers' surprise Helen abruptly stopped running and turned to face their pursuers.

"Helen!" Ed called in despair, he didn't want to accept it but he knew exactly what she was planning on doing.

"¡Corran (Run)!" Helen yelled at them in Spanish. "Yo estaré bien, los entretendré para que ustedes puedan escapar (I'll be fine, I'll entertain them so you can escape). ¡Corran y no miren atrás (Run and don't look behind)!"

"Helen!" Ed cried out again, not wanting to leave her behind.

"Come on Ed." Al told his brother. "You know how powerful Helen is. She'll be alright. We have to run now."

Finally Ed began running once more, behind Al; taking just one last look as the first soldier got to Helen and tried to submit her.

Helen used her alchemy, mixing threads, throwing needles, and her usual 'nails' to keep the soldiers at bay and busy, never letting them go after the brothers. She knew that she would eventually run out of energy, and then the soldiers would capture her.

'But as long as those two are safe, it'll be worth it.' She thought to herself.

.---.

Colonel Roy Mustang almost couldn't hide his surprise when he saw some soldiers escort a handcuffed Helen into the room were a military-council was taking place. However, even though her situation wasn't the best, she seemed pretty calm.

"So, this is Miss Helen Calher?" The Fuhrer inquired, though he already knew the answer. "The Weaver Alchemist…Welcome back. I'm glad to see you."

"To bad I can't say the same…sir." Helen purposefully talked that way.

"How rude…" One of the men commented.

"You will respect the Great General!" A man yelled backhanding her.

The blow was so heard it sent Helen straight to the ground, and left her with a bruised cheek. Yet she didn't retort, she just got back on her feet silently.

"You seem pretty calm despite the tight spot you've gotten yourself into miss." The Fuhrer commented. "May I remind you that your life is in our hands right now?"

"You may kill me in this very moment, but there's no way you'll keep the whole world from finding out the truth sooner or later, General." Helen stated confidently.

"Of what truth are you talking about?" Another of the men asked her.

"That everything that has happened from the Ishbalan War up to the rebellion in Lior has been caused by the militia itself, so they would have an excuse to keep the power they've grown so accustomed to." Helen hissed.

Those words earned her another hard slap and also once again she said nothing at it, she just straightened up once more, as if silently telling everyone she wouldn't be intimidated by them or their antics.

"What do you know about these accusations, Colonel Mustang?" The Fuhrer asked.

Now, that was something Helen hadn't been expecting; she certainly hadn't wanted to get her superior in trouble.

"I believe, sir." Roy chose his words carefully. "Our interventions in certain…situations might have been disproportionate; making the people turn against us."

"So that's what you think Colonel?" The Fuhrer's question was obviously a rhetorical one.

"Yes sir." Roy nodded. "I have reason to believe that your secretary, Miss Douglas, has been involved in some of these 'situations'. There are some 'unusual' things in her file I think must be revised, for our and the whole country's safety."

"Sure, sure." The Fuhrer nodded dismissively.

.---.

After some more minutes and hypocrite words the meeting was adjourned. Roy was told he and Mayor Armstrong would be put in charge of a team to search for the Elric brothers in the north, while he would see personally about his secretary. Both Roy and Helen knew that was a lie but said nothing about it.

Roy was told to get Helen to some soldiers that were waiting at the gates, they would take the Weaver Alchemist to a place where she would be put under confinement and questioned about the Elric's whereabouts.

"Don't worry about me, Colonel." Helen told Roy as he guided her to the gate. "You've got enough problems on your own. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself just fine."

"You better." Roy replied in a low tone. "Ed and Al will need your help before the end. Just let them know I'll handle the situation here, the rest will be up to you."

Helen understood what he was implying: he would take care of the Fuhrer himself. That was risky, but Helen wasn't about to oppose him.

"Alright Colonel." Helen nodded as they got to the gate. "Good luck."

.---.

Some hours later the soldiers handed Helen to the Fuhrer's secretary, which Helen soon knew was something bad in itself as she couldn't use alchemy to defend herself while having both of her hands bound. However the girl wasn't expecting what she found after being lead down at least a hundred of stairs and into what looked like a very old-fashioned dance room.

On the sides of the room remained kneeling four certain beings she could easily identify as Lust, Gluttony, Wrath and Envy. And in the middle of them stood who she could deduce must be their controller…

"It can't be…" Helen gasped in deep shock. "Lyla!"

* * *

And another cliffhanger! (How I like doing those...) I know you people may hate me for doing this. But this chapter had to end somewhere. And I thought this was as good place as any. Hope you won't be too mad and decide to leave reviews (remember, that helps me update faster). Having said that. See ya! 


	10. An Angel A Star

**Chapter 9. ****An Angel…A Star…**

One after the other knives could be seen as they hit different spots in the tree Itziar was using as practice spot; however, the last one missed and by a good deal.

"Wow, you seemed to be doing just fine…" Winry commented getting to her just then.

"At what time does the next train for Central leaves?" Itziar asked unexpectedly.

"What?" Winry was puzzled, not having expected the question. "In about half an hour, why?"

"I must leave right away." Itziar answered returning the daggers to their respective sheaths. "I didn't miss that last shot on purpose; I got distracted. I really don't know how to explain it but I know that something's gone wrong. I must get to Central City to find out what that is."

"You think it's a good idea?" Winry asked doubtful. "I mean, what if the homunculi get you? You'll be all alone."

"I'll have to take that risk." Itziar answered.

Winry knew there would be no way to convince the girl of the contrary so she just helped her pack a simple lunch and change clothes before she left.

.---.

When Itziar finally stepped off the train at Central City she was almost at break out point. She had never believed train-traveling could be so…tedious. It'd been worse because all the while she kept having that sickening feeling that something was wrong, that her friends desperately needed her help, and if she didn't hurry she might not make it to them in time.

She was, however surprised when she found Sciezka waiting for her. It seemed that in the end Winry had felt the need of calling someone they could trust and as Sciezka had had to return to Central City along with the militaries, who better than her?

"Hey Sciezka, thanks for coming to get me." Itziar said politely.

"I told it to Winry and I tell it to you now, you're crazy to be here with the situation as it is." Sciezka declared seriously.

"And what's that situation?" Itziar asked almost fearfully.

"Well, the Great General has sent the 'just promoted' Brigadier General Mustang and his team to the north, supposedly so they can arrest Edward and Alphonse." Sciezka explained. "They are considered as responsible for what happened in Lior."

"What?! But that can't be. That was entirely Scar's and Archer's fault. The later for sending his soldiers in even when Ed and Helen told him not to, and the former for wanting to create the Philosopher's Stone in the first place. Co…Brigadier Mustang must know that!"

"He knows, but he can't exactly oppose direct orders from the Fuhrer. And anyway, between you and me, I think he has something planned."

"It wouldn't surprise me. Is that all?"

"Not really. No one has seen the Elric brothers, so they could be anywhere (or that's what we must believe); but Helen was caught after they left Rizenbul. I've heard she was taken to HQ, faced the Great General and all the higher authorities, and then taken to a place where she was supposed to be kept and interrogated; no one has heard anything else from her since then."

"So this is why I had this feeling of doom…I knew something was terribly wrong. That's why I took the first train here."

"But what can you do to help them? What can you or I do for them now? We don't even know where any of them are!"

"I don't know…but I'll find the way. I won't let my friends alone, never."

Yes, even if at first she had refused to admit it those three were her friends and she would do anything in her power to help them, anything.

.---.

Finally Sciezka ended up taking Itziar to her house so she could get some rest, eat something and get ready for whatever she was going to do.

Finally, after the sun had set Itziar emerged from Sciezka's bathroom finally ready: she wore a white sleeveless dress that closed around her neck and reached to the floor, it had slits on both sides that reached to her waist and it was kept in place with a white sash; underneath the dress she wore light-lilac slacks; there were also the slightly darker battle-slippers and gloves that reached her elbows; the finishing touch was the silvery cloak with hood that in the back had a five pointed star in lavender thread.

"You look incredible." Sciezka complimented the young woman.

"Roze made these clothes for me, she said they fitted me." Itziar explained. "And they're good for both keeping my identity concealed and covering my skin."

Sciezka didn't really know why the girl would want to cover her skin but said nothing about it.

To finish Itziar hid her knives on her thighs, (beneath the dress), on her forearms (under the cloak) and the last one in her sash.

"You better stay here until tomorrow." Itziar told Sciezka as she was about to leave the house.

"Why?" Sciezka asked, slightly confused.

"Many things will happen this night…" Itziar whispered absent-minded. "You'll be safer here than outside."

Sciezka said nothing, but Itziar didn't seem to be waiting for an answer as she left the house in an almost sepulchral silence.

.---.

After much thinking Itziar had decided her first stop would be the hospital, and it didn't take her long to get there. Using her levitating ability she managed to reach the end of the fire-stairs and go up from there. It took her a while, but eventually she managed to locate Maes Hughes room and went there. The man was laying in the same bed as he had been for the last months, connected to all kind of machines that registered his vital signs and kept assuring everyone he was alive, even when he hadn't yet awoken.

"I've wondered many times, if the militaries hadn't arrived in that moment would I have been powerful enough to heal you completely?" Itziar asked aloud. "I think we're both about to find out, aren't we?"

Itziar had just taken off one glove and was about to activate her powers when suddenly a little girl's voice called her attention.

"Are you an angel?" She asked.

"Excuse me…" Itziar was confused at the girl's question.

"Are you an angel who has come to heal my daddy?" The girl asked.

"Well, yes, you could say that." Itziar wasn't sure how to answer to that.

"Thank you very much angel-lady." The girl said. "I had prayed and prayed you would come and you're finally here. I know daddy will be very happy to be able to get up and go back to work. He always has so much work…"

Itziar was truly touched by the girl's words, they gave her even more reason to try his best to save that man.

With that Itziar laid her hand on the man's head and concentrated as hard as she could. After a moment the familiar lilac glow began forming beneath her palm and it seemed to go into the man, giving him the energy he was missing.

It seemed like eternity passed until suddenly…

"Ely…sia…" A male voice murmured.

"Daddy!" The girl cried out happily. "Thank you angel-lady! Thank you!"

Itziar almost couldn't believe it, she had really done it, she had finished healing that man.

"Who are you?" Maes asked in what seemed like his attempt to sound authoritative, though he failed completely. "What are you doing here?"

"Worry not Mr. Hughes, sir." Itziar said flashing a soft smile. "I'm not here to hurt you. Quite the contrary actually, I came here to heal you, the way I wasn't able to do the night you were attacked by the homunculus."

"The night…" Maes was quite surprised. "So it's to you that I owe my life."

"You owe me nothing sir." Itziar contradicted him. "I did what I thought best; and if you will excuse me I believe these powers could be useful somewhere else right now."

It was also that right then she could hear the racket the previous exclamation of the little girl had provoked. Soon enough the room would be full of doctors and nurses wanting to see how it was possible that Maes Hughes had finally awoken.

"Wait, miss." Maes stopped her. "Who are you?"

"I…Star…" Itziar gave him the translation of her name. "Call me Star."

And with that she left the room the same way she had entered: through the window.

.---.

Itziar knew she had to begin looking for Helen at once; it wasn't that she didn't trust the girl's ability when it came to doing alchemy, fighting, or a combination of both; but going against homunculi wasn't easy, so she believed it would be best if they were together. So, believing it was a good place to begin her search, Itziar headed for Central's military Headquarters.

When she arrived she could see there was a huge commotion in the place. For what she could gather from the soldiers outside two people had barged into the place and attacked everyone in their path for no apparent reason. Itziar was sure there must have been a good reason, what she wasn't sure was which of her friends would be capable of something like that.

It took a great deal of her ability and agility to reach the main offices of the building without getting killed in the process; but finally, she made it.

Once inside she was surprised to find what seemed to be a man, except that half of him was made of automail, he was attacking viciously a woman with dark hair and dressed in a white coat who seemed to be having a hard time.

Itziar didn't need to think about it, she immediately jumped into the fight, using her telekinesis to throw the 'man' out of the room, and then have a moment to help the woman up.

"Are you alright?" Itziar asked the woman.

"Yes." She replied. "Who are you girl?"

"Star." She introduced herself like that once again. "That tattoo you have, might you by any chance be Helen's, Ed's and Al's sensei?"

"Yes. How do you know them?" Izumi asked.

"They're my friends." Itziar answered. "In fact I came here looking for Helen…"

"I haven't seen her here." Izumi replied.

"Yeah well, she might have escaped during all this mess…" Itziar murmured.

Her phrase was, whoever, interrupted the moment Archer returned to the room and fired what seemed like a very big bullet from his mouth.

"Ánimas Benditas!" Itziar cried out raising both hands.

Her telekinesis managed to deflect the big bullet, but barely.

"How did you do that?" Izumi asked.

"It's a little trick of mine." Itziar replied. "Now you must leave the room while I distract him."

"But you can't…" Izumi began, not sure it was a good idea.

"You go." Itziar insisted as she took off a glove. "I'll be right behind you."

Finally Izumi complied and went out by a hole in the wall, in the other side some soldiers were already waiting to help her. They could all hear a loud bang and a moment later Itziar ran out the same whole, spun around sharply and touched the wall, making it close and reinforce, so as to prevent Archer from getting to them that way.

"You're an alchemist?" Izumi said, somewhat doubtful.

"Something like that, to be honest I'm not really sure myself." Itziar answered honestly.

"You didn't use a transmutation circle, then that means you have seen the Gate." Izumi said confidently. "But you didn't even clap your hands…"

"Don't try to understand it." Itziar warned her. "You'll just get an awful headache."

"Miss Carrey, you're here." Lieutenant Ross said surprised at seeing the teen.

"Carrey?" Izumi asked.

"That's right." Itziar nodded. "My name is Itziar Carrey, Star is like my alias."

"I'm Izumi Curtis." The sensei told her. "Thank you for your…"

She interrupted herself when she got a coughing fit, eventually coughing out blood.

"Miss Curtis!" Lieutenant Ross was truly panicked.

"You're gravely ill, aren't you?" Itziar said, it wasn't a question but a statement.

"Yes I am." Izumi admitted.

"And yet you're here." Itziar continued.

"I had to act like a sensei even if just one more time, and help Al, Ed and Helen in any way I could." Izumi explained.

"And maybe I might be able to help you before I take my leave." Itziar suggested suddenly.

"What?" Izumi was taken aback by that. "How?"

"Do you trust me?" Itziar asked back.

Izumi wasn't sure exactly why, but there was something in that girl that made her trust her. Maybe it was the fact that she was a friend of her students, that special light in her eyes, or whatever it may be; Izumi finally nodded.

So Itziar knelt down and told Izumi to do the same, one in front of the other. Itziar then told the sensei to uncover her stomach, where the sickness laid beneath the skin. Izumi did what she was told without questioning, as she really had no idea what the young woman might be planning. Itziar took off both her gloves and left them aside, then brought out one of her small daggers and did small thin incisions in both of her hands, as well as in the end of Izumi's neck and her belly.

Lieutenant Ross was about to say something at that moment but a look from Izumi interrupted her, the sensei really wanted to know what the girl was trying to do and if there might be any chance it would work; though it was unlikely…but anyway, it didn't hurt to try.

Finally Itziar left the dagger aside and connected both of her injuries with those of Izumi. That way the blood of both came in contact.

'I am the Philosopher's Stone.' Itziar thought as she concentrated. 'The power is in my blood, flowing beneath my skin. If I'm able to pass to her at least a small part of that power…just enough so her organs replace themselves…I know I can do it, I've just got to try hard enough.'

Right then everyone in the room gasped.

It was again the same glow, except that this time it was brighter as it came directly from her blood, which was passing into Izumi, quickly cloning its power into the sensei's own blood, just as the girl wanted.

Izumi hadn't known what to expect when the girl offered to help, but it certainly hadn't been what she was feeling. The warm energy going into her body through the two cuts the girl had previously done, it felt as if she were renewing herself from the inside. It was then that Izumi understood that, whatever it was the girl was doing, it was definitely working.

Eventually there was so much power both the girl and the adult began levitating in between the glow; but not long after that the light finally died out and both returned to the ground.

Izumi immediately held herself up with both hands; while in front of her Lieutenant Ross held Itziar so she wouldn't hit her head.

Itziar believed the way she felt could be compared to when the doctor took blood from her to run some test or another; which can be considered as a good comparison because her power was in her blood, so if she had given the sensei some of her power to heal herself, it could be considered like she had 'donated' some blood.

"Are you okay Itziar?" Izumi asked.

"Fine." Itziar answered. "Just a bit dizzy, that's all. It must be normal considering I had never done something this big."

"What…" Izumi was shocked.

"But, there's always a first time for everything, isn't it?" Itziar cut her immediately.

Right then they all heard a lot of noises.

"What's all that racket?" Itziar asked getting slowly on her feet, while putting her gloves back on, her cuts had already healed.

"Lt. Colonel Archer just left." One of the soldiers informed them. "A message came that there is trouble in Great General Bradley's house, someone broke in and began fighting him."

In that moment Itziar felt she had a very good idea of whom the one fighting the Fuhrer might be, and the names of her friends didn't figure there.

"I must go." Itziar declared aloud when her head finally stopped spinning and she believed she could keep her balance.

"But you can't…" Lieutenant Ross began.

"Good luck, Itziar." Izumi interrupted the other woman.

"Good luck to you too." Itziar replied pulling her hood up and leaving immediately.

.---.

It took long for Itziar to get to the Fuhrer's house, and by the time she did the fight was over already. Both King Bradley and Frank Archer were dead, while Bradley's son had some minor injuries and Roy some very bad ones.

"Miss Itziar!" Riza was quite surprised when seeing the girl arrive.

"Are you alright?" Itziar asked.

"Me yes." Riza answered. "But him…Oh, if I had just arrived a minute earlier…"

"Don't think about that, not all is lost…" And without further ado Itziar again took off a glove and healed both Roy's and the child's injuries.

"How did you do that?" Riza asked shocked.

"Magic." Itziar answered simply.

Right then Itziar got a silly feeling, as if some strange force were pulling her someplace else, and she had a feeling she had to get to that place.

"What is it?" Riza seemed to sense something was amiss.

"I'm needed someplace else." Itziar answered simply. "I must leave now."

"Alright." Riza nodded, not asking questions. "Be careful."

"I will…" Itziar doubted before adding. "You know…you should tell him how you feel."

Riza didn't even get a chance to reply as Itziar vanished into thin air right then.

* * *

And here it is, the other side of what happened that eventful day. Hope it was good enough for you, I always wanted many of the things that happen in this chapter to somehow happen in the real anime, so I just had to write it here. 

Coming up: The final standoff between Ed and Dante, with Al, Helen and Itziar as special guests. This also means it's the end...of this saga.

See ya!


	11. Farwells

**Chapter 10. ****Farewells **

With some help from his sensei, the Tringham brothers, and some others, Ed finally got to the secret city beneath Central City; the city whose inhabitants had become the ingredients for the Philosopher's Stone four centuries before. There he soon got to a manor located in the very center of the place. The doors were really big but, somehow, he managed to open them and enter, what he found inside was just too much for him:

Helen, dressed in a very elegant and old-fashioned dress, slowly twirling and dancing through the room, to the compass of a very low music.

"Helen?" Ed asked, not quite believing if she was there.

"Edward…" Helen whispered smiling softly. "You finally came…"

Right then she seemed to try to get him to dance, but he pushed her away.

"Edward why?" Helen asked confused.

"You're not Helen." Ed replied. "Or at least not fully. I know because Helen never called me Edward, not even when we first met."

Ed could remember perfectly fine that day, he had told her to call him just Ed, and that she had done, as she had always called his brother only Al.

"Ed…" Helen whispered softly. "Debes tener mucho cuidado…yo, no…no puedo mantener el control de mi cuerpo por…mucho tiempo… (You must be very careful…I can't…I can't keep control over my body for…long…)"

"Helen…realmente eres tú (it is really you)." Almost unconsciously Ed too spoke in Spanish.

"Sí…ella me está controlando…me cuesta mucho trabajo obtener el control. (Yes…she's controlling me…it takes a lot of effort for me to get control.)" Helen said with a labored breathing, she was obviously doing a great mental effort.

"Ella? Quién? (She? Who?)" Ed asked, a bit confused.

"La que controla a los homúnculos…es… (The one who's controlling the homunculi…it's…)" Right then Helen could keep control no more, the force of the enemy overpowered her.

"Helen!" Ed cried out worriedly.

Right then he could hear a baby's cry and when he turned around he could see in a lateral door there was Lyla, holding a baby in her arms.

"Ma…my baby…" For a moment it seemed like Helen had tried to take back control, but to no avail, she finally went to take the baby into her arms.

Ed wasn't as shocked as one would have expected, in fact, after what he had lived since seeing Helen again he expected practically anything.

"Strong girl…" Lyla complimented Helen. "I'd never before seen someone capable of fighting back mind-control; she certainly has a strong will."

"That's Helen, right..." Ed agreed sincerely. "She seems so vulnerable at first sight, yet is so strong, both physically and mentally." His expression hardened right then as he turned to Lyla. "Why are you trying to control Helen's body?"

"What?" Lyla seemed confused at this. "What makes you believe it's me who's doing this?"

"What Helen said." Ed replied. "She said I had to be careful, and that the one trying to control her was the same one that controlled the homunculi; yet she didn't say a word about you being held captive as well; which means you're the one controlling the homunculi, and her too."

"That's because she didn't know I was here." Lyla tried to convince Ed.

"That's a lie." Ed said confidently. "If you were a prisoner too Helen would know it, and she would have told me. It's of no use for you to try to deny it."

"Well, quite the clever one, aren't you?" Lyla said sarcastically.

"There's one thing that I don't understand, however." Ed continued. "Why are you doing this Lyla? Or would it be better if I called you Dante?"

"So, you've deduced it all by now, haven't you?" Dante said quite surprised. "I should have expected something like that, after all, you're Hohenheim's son. In fact, the only thing I hadn't expected was to have a girl be able to fight off my power as much as this one does…" Softly, she touched Helen's hair.

"¡Suéltame maldita (Let go of me damned woman)!" Helen cried out suddenly. "Ed¡Mátala (Kill her)!"

Dante seemed a bit surprised, by both the girl's sudden outburst and the foreign words.

"What was that?" Dante asked.

"That, is another language." Ed answered with a grin. "It's the language from the place where Helen comes from. She taught it to Al and I when we were little. That's how I know when she's the one speaking. You don't know the language, so you can't make her speak it!"

"Well, so she's clever enough too…a new language, I would have never expected it…" Dante admitted. "It seems I wouldn't have been able to fulfill my plan anyway."

"What was your plan?" Ed asked, curious.

"To get into this beautiful and young body…" Dante said embracing the once again submitted Helen. "And then make Hohenheim's son fall in love with me…But it seems you're already in love with her; because only then you can know her as well as you do."

Ed didn't answer, he wasn't about to lose any more time with that sick woman. He just used some of his alchemy to push her and the baby she was still holding to the side and prepared to fight Dante.

"No te preocupes Helen. (Do not worry Helen.)" Ed said to the girl. "Te prometo que te salvaré, sea como sea. (I promise I'll save you, no matter how.)"

It frustrated Dante not knowing what was being said, but she knew it wouldn't make much of a difference anymore, anyway. Her plan had failed and the only thing she could do now was... kill the boy.

.---.

The battle went on for what seemed like forever. Thought in truth not even an hour passed.

Helen had eventually stopped fighting and opted to save her energies for when she believed she should intervene; meanwhile, she contented herself with just watching and keeping the little baby in her arms away from the fight.

A moment came when Dante took the baby off Helen's arms using a stone serpent she moved with the help of alchemy. Then Helen made use of all the energies she had saved and managed to get control over her body long enough to transmute her nails and attack Dante viciously for some seconds.

"Well, well, well…" Dante murmured as she repaired her clothing. "I'm beginning to believe it'll be better if I just kill this girl already."

"Don't you dare touch her, you witch!" Ed yelled furiously.

"Great." Dante said with a wicked grin. "Lets have a small test. You know it's really easy to kill both the girl and the baby. So easy that it makes me think, were they only born to die at my hands? They're both trying their best to live, she's even using her whole mental strength to fight off my control; yet I just have to move my hand and they'll both die. Would you call that fair? When they're giving everything to live, and all they gain is death…Is that an Equivalent Exchange? I don't think so…"

"Quit your sermon!" Ed yelled at her annoyed, he was about to attack once more, but almost immediately stopped when she threatened to kill them.

"With the power you have you may be able to save one of them." Dante commented. "So, who will it be? The girl, or the baby? Who, in your eyes, deserves life more?"

Ed was thoroughly frustrated. What did that woman believe she was doing? Did she really think he could chose between an innocent kid and his bel…best friend?

"You are like your father, after all." Dante finally said.

It all happened too fast to keep track of everything: the serpent vanished, the baby fell, Helen got enough control over herself to catch him, when he was going to try to help he noticed a transmutation circle drawn in the baby's exposed belly and a second later…it all went black.

.---.

Many things happened in the following minutes. Helen could see as Al was brought inside the room and laid on a transmutation circle. She tried to get control over her body and help Al, but after the last three outbursts she had grown extremely tired.

Gluttony was ordered by Dante to literally eat Alphonse, so he would have the Philosopher's Stone inside, Helen silently wondered if Itziar wouldn't be able to help them somehow, but there was really no use to wonder as Itziar wasn't there.

As Gluttony just didn't seem to react Dante used her power over them to remove what use of a brain he had, leaving him as a senseless being who wanted nothing but to eat. Helen was about to try once again to break free from Dante's control when suddenly she saw Edward reappear, exactly the same way he had disappeared not too long before.

Ed fought off Envy, trying to save his brother. The fight was confusing as Envy changed his appearance, trying to find one that Ed wouldn't be able to fight and that way defeat him once and for all. But Ed was fixed on his goal: destroying Dante and the homunculi once and for all so he could save both Al and Helen; no one would be able to get his mind off that.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened: Envy turned into his true form, so much like Ed's father, as he was the first of Hohenheim's sons. The moment Ed saw that face he got really shocked; Envy got this chance to plunge his hand into him, killing him almost instantly.

"Brother…" Al gasped, not quite believing what he was seeing.

"No!" That was more than enough a reason to make Helen finally strong enough to break free. "No puedes morir…no…Ed!!! (You can't die…no…Ed!!!)"

Dante tried to use that moment of distraction of the both teens so Gluttony could eat him, but Al moved before the homunculus did it.

Helen left the baby in the crib and ran to Ed's side, not caring if her dress got soaked in blood, she didn't like it anyway. She was about to try and revive him when Al stopped her gently.

"You know it would be useless…" Al whispered to her softly. "You would just end up making another homunculus out of him. That wouldn't be fair for you, nor for him."

"But I can't let him die Al, I just can't…" Helen whispered as tears slowly fell from her eyes. "I…yo sólo…yo lo amo! (I…I just…I love him!)"

"Helen…" Al didn't know what to say or do anymore to help her.

"Oh, how sweet…" Dante said sarcastically.

"My brother isn't dead yet." Al declared suddenly.

His unexpected statement surprised everyone in the room, even Helen.

"What do you mean, Al?" Helen asked.

"He's still warm." Al explained. "His soul is still inside the Gate. I have to bring it back, just like he did for me…"

"But Al, that time, Ed wasn't alone." Helen reminded him, showing her automails. "I was with him, I helped him bring you back…I can help you once more."

"No." Al refused.

Helen immediately felt hurt by those words.

"Don't take it the wrong way Helen." Al said immediately. "I just don't want you to sacrifice more than you already have. You know I'm the Philosopher's Stone, I must be able to pull this on my own."

"But you know even if you're the Stone, you don't have all the power." Helen murmured back to him. "There's another half…"

"Itziar…" They both whispered at the same time.

It was right at that very moment when, at the porch of the Fuhrer's house, after having just healed Roy's eye, Itziar felt that sensation, she was being called.

A second later Itziar appeared out of thin air, right next to Helen.

"Wow…" she whispered holding her head. "Please warn me next time you do that…"

However, she cut her humor short the moment she saw the limp body right before her feet, Al and Helen by the sides.

"Oh por todos los espíritus… (Oh for all the spirits…)" Itziar gasped in her native tongue. "How did this…" She chose not to ask. "I knew something had gone wrong, but I never imagined it could be this bad…"

"This is wrong, true." Al nodded. "But we can still make it right."

"We can?" Itziar asked, slightly confused.

"Yes, if you will help me." Al told her.

It was then that she understood, she didn't even doubt, not even for a second.

"I will." Itziar immediately got on her knees.

"Helen, I think it'll be best if you back out a little." Al suggested softly.

Helen slowly let go of the hand of Edward she had been holding as if trying to find a sign of life, a sign that wasn't there, and that even if there were she would be incapable of feeling due to her having metallic hands.

"What do you think you're going to do?" Dante said angrily approaching the group.

"Don't you dare get any closer…" Helen got on a fighting stance between the evil woman and her friends.

"You know you can't use alchemy." Dante reminded her.

"She can't use that, but I can do this." Itziar moved to get a better view of Dante and with a move of her hand send her several feet away, then turned back to Al. "Ok, lets do this."

Al just nodded.

Itziar seemed to be about to begin but then noticed she was trembling slightly.

"Are you alright?" Al asked worriedly.

"Yes…not really..." Itziar looked down ashamed. "I admit I'm scared, really scared. I don't know what will happen with us when we do this."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Al assured her, pulling her face up by her chin. "It's okay to be afraid." He took her hands in his. "And don't worry…I promise you I'll always be here for you, always…"

"Thank you Al…" Itziar whispered back and she nodded, she was ready.

So Itziar took off her gloves to begin. She and Al clapped their hands together individually, then one with the other and finally touched Ed's chest. There were no words, but they weren't needed either. A lilac light seem to emerge from Itziar and mix with a blue one from Al; the moment they clashed together the full power of the Philosopher's Stone seemed to activate, the light turned a bright red and surrounded all three teens.

In the last moment, Envy too went into the light.

Helen didn't turn back until the light had died out, and when she did she gasped in pure shock. There was Edward, just like he'd been just some seconds ago; but no, it wasn't the same. The puddle of blood had disappeared, and she could see his chest going up and down rhythmically, along with his breaths.

"Ed…" Helen whispered slowly walking to him. "Oh Ed!"

It was her cry that made him finally open his eyes.

Helen knelt next to him, and slowly brushed off the tears falling down his cheeks.

"Why am I crying?" Ed wondered aloud, as he brought his own hand to brush his tears.

Helen gasped right then once more and Ed immediately knew the reason: his hand, it wasn't automail anymore but his flesh-and-blood one.

It was until then that Helen noticed that they were the only ones still in the room, along with the baby sleeping in the crib, and the silent Wrath on a side. Dante and Gluttony were nowhere to be seen, and Al, Itziar and Envy had vanished into the light right as they revived Ed.

"Helen…" Ed finally called. "Is it really you?"

"Sí.(Yes)" Helen nodded. "Yes, I'm back to being myself Ed."

"What happened?" Ed asked.

"Al and Itziar did a transmutation together…" Helen didn't know how to explain it. "They brought you back."

Ed immediately understood what she meant, they had used the Stone's power to get his soul back into his body and heal him; they had technically revived him.

"Does that…" Ed feared what he was about to ask. "Does that mean they are…gone?"

Helen couldn't get herself to answer the question, she just lowered her head.

"So they really have disappeared…" Ed murmured, then jumped to his feet and began yelling in a mix of languages. "No pueden haberse ido (They can't be gone…) No…How could this happen¡¿Cómo(How)?! After everything we've been through! No es justo (It's not fair)…"

Helen had begun crying already, she felt so bad at the moment…the worst was that she knew her tears wouldn't help her friends, yet she just couldn't stop crying.

"You know…" Ed whispered finally calming down and kneeling next to her. "I know I should be happy that I'm back alive, I really should but…but I just can't, not when I know I'm here just because they sacrificed themselves." He sighed. "I must bring them back."

"Then I'll help you." Helen declared.

Ed didn't oppose her, he knew it would be useless; once she had set her mind on something there was no way to make her change her decision. In that way she was just like him.

Silently they both got on their feet.

Helen took off the fancy dress, standing in her midnight blue pants and azure top. She then saw the dagger Itziar had left behind, did a small cut on her finger and with her own blood she drew the special circles just above her chest, in her arms and forehead. Ed imitated her actions. Then they both stood on the main transmutation circle in the room.

"You really sure you wanna do this?" Ed asked one last time.

"I told you when you first did something like this I wouldn't be leaving you alone and to those words I hold." Helen assured him. "I won't leave you, ever."

She had been about to tell him just how much she loved him, knowing it just might be her last chance; but she didn't want to make their possibly permanent parting any worse.

"Is everything alright Helen?" Ed asked.

"Yes, just fine." Helen nodded raising her hands. "Good luck Ed."

"Good luck Helen." Ed replied.

With those words they were saying they knew they might not see each other again, but they would take that chance; their friends were worth it.

They clapped once and then touched themselves. The alchemy activated as a bright light filled the room. In a matter of seconds they disappeared into the light…

"Amigos…por siempre… (Friends…forever…)" They whispered and then were gone.

* * *

I know it's taken me a really long time to update, but whether you may believe it or not I had totally forgotten I had to update things here, so concentrated I was first in my finals and then in my vacations. But now I'm back. And just so no one goes around panicking and thinking I won't finish this fic let me reassure you of the opposite, this fic is already finished, all written, I only have to upload the chapters, I'll try to do that more frequently from now on, and of course your reviews would help refresh my memories if I happen to forget. 

Now, this saga is finished, and on the next chapter we'll see the first of two parts covering the movie "Conqueror of Shambala", from then on it'll all be completely original. Hope you'll like it.


	12. Reencounters, Memories and Tears

**Chapter 11. ****Joyful Reencounters, Lost Memories and Painful Tears **

Ever so slowly a pair of honey-brown eyes opened. She could easily notice she was laying on a hard surface and could see the night sky through some leaves of a nearby tree.

"Where am I?" She asked still wondering if there would be anyone to listen to her.

"Home." A voice answered right next to her. "We're both back home."

Helen, for she was the one who had just awoken, turned around abruptly.

"Itziar!" The called in shock. "How is it…when did this…why do you…"

"Stop for a second Helen." Itziar indicated. "Breathe deeply, and ask your question."

"Are you really alive?" Helen asked. "Are we really alive?"

"Now, what kind of question is that?" Itziar grinned. "We're here, aren't we?"

"Well, we could be dead and in heaven, or in hell, for all I know." Helen pointed out.

"Well I can assure you that, no matter how much we may say the opposite sometimes, this is earth, no heaven, no hell, just our Earth."

"How did you get here? I thought you had used the Philospher's Stone to revive Ed? I thought you had died and so I transmuted myself trying to save you."

"Well, thank you very much but I was never dead, or at least I think I wasn't. I did, as you say, used my power as the Philosopher's Stone to help Al revive Ed; however, right as the red light vanished I noticed I was no longer in the dance room, nor at the Gate either, I was…here. And a second later you appeared. So, Ed is alive?"

"He…well, he was."

"What do you mean he was?"

"We both did transmutation in ourselves; to get you and Al back. Somehow, I got here. But I really don't know what happened to him."

"Sadly there's no way of knowing. I gave up what power I possessed and so I can no longer return to Amestris. There'll be no way for us to know if Ed and Al are alright or not."

"Until we're summoned again."

"That's if we're ever summoned again."

"We will, we just need to have hope and we will."

Itziar didn't know what made Helen so insistent but didn't ask either, she just nodded.

After that small conversation both girls went back to their respective houses, being extremely careful so as not wake their parents, they got changed from the clothes they had arrived in, the same ones they had been wearing when disappearing from the dancing room, and decided to get some sleep before their mothers woke them to begin the day.

.---.

After that second adventure of theirs in Amestrist Helen and Itziar became very close friends. They would sit somewhere and chat in English, remembering everything they had lived and done. That's how Helen found out how many people Itziar helped before getting to the dance room and Itziar learned everything that had happened in that place prior to her arrival.

The girls' mothers didn't comment on that special friendship, almost as if they didn't notice how the age difference seemed to become nonexistent the moment those two got engrossed in a chat. And it was that they never talked about school, or any other 'local friends', they talked about what they had in common, the world only they knew existed.

The age wasn't really a trouble, they were both fourteen, and they knew it, it didn't matter if everyone else still considered them as a ten-year-old and a twelve-year-old. They got to their growth spurt sooner than most girls, but if anyone noticed there were no comments about it.

.---.

Helen and Itziar had not too long ago turned sixteen and were walking side by side through the downtown plaza, around the Kiosk; that was one place they had gotten to know as the back of their hands. They really liked the plaza, had the feeling it might be the closest they would ever be to returning to Amestris.

Or at least that's what they believed until a certain afternoon… It was time for lunch, but their families weren't waiting for them, knowing the girls would be out all day.

The two teen-women approached the Kiosk once it was emptied, remembering with each step they gave everything they had gone through in their travels. So engrossed they were in their memories that at first they didn't notice the eerie glow surrounding them; in fact it was until they no longer felt the ground under their feet that they knew something was going on.

"Ánimas Benditas (Blessed souls)!" Itziar yelled, trying to hold onto something and founding nothing.

"Con un demonio (By hell)…" Helen cursed right next to her.

Though, opposite to what they had been expecting, they didn't crash into the ground, though Itziar did fell on her knees when she wasn't able to remain stable.

"Where are we?" Helen asked looking around them.

And it was that she had the feeling they had been in that place before, but she couldn't very well remember the buildings around her.

"Well, whether you may believe it or not," Itziar replied looking all around carefully. "I think we're in Lior."

"Lior?" Helen replied incredulously. "It can't be…But it's so changed!"

"Two years can certainly make a place change a lot." Itziar said as a matter of fact. "Especially one that was due to be rebuilt after the war anyway."

"Ok, point taken." Helen nodded.

Right then something called Itziar's attention: some yards away from where they had appeared a hole surrounded in a pinkish light seemed to be sucking up dozens of armor-suits.

When Helen saw the same she really considered that to be strange, even in Amestris, but what got her moving was when she noticed a blonde man with a red coat holding onto one of the armors, going straight into the vortex.

"No!" She yelled running full speed.

Apparently Helen wasn't the only one who thought that the blonde boy was crazy for wanting to go into the vortex, but Helen was certainly faster and far more agile than anyone else. She jumped high and held onto the boy, using all her will to pull him back down to the ground. In the end the boy couldn't keep his hold onto the armors with her hanging from his back and he had to let go. They both fell hard to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Itziar asked, catching up to them right then.

"Why did you do that?" The young man seemed to ignore Itziar's question as he turned around to complain to Helen.

"You aren't Ed…" Helen murmured thoughtfully. "But you're wearing his coat…"

"My brother's…" The boy began, and suddenly something seemed to click inside his brain. "Is that you Helen?"

"Al?" Helen too understood everything right then. "Oh…virgen santa…"

"Yeah, that's definitely you Helen." Al nodded when hearing her expression.

She was the only one who used those phrases.

"But…how?...why?...when?..." Helen didn't even know what to ask. "All this seems just so confusing…I feel lost."

"Miss Calher? Miss Carrey?" A male voice asked from behind them. "Why am I not surprised to find you here, precisely now?"

"Good afternoon Mayor Armstrong." Itziar greeted him right away, and then saw the woman next to him. "Hello Roze."

"Hello Itziar, Helen." Roze greeted both girls too.

"Well hello Lieutenant-Colonel Armstrong." Helen subtly corrected her friend's mistake. "It seems to be popular belief that wherever Itziar and I appear there's due to be some trouble."

"And your presence here seems to confirm that theory." Armstrong replied.

"Yeah, except some forget there were already problems in this world before we first came, and there will continue being after we no longer are here." Helen said half-seriously.

"What matters is that you're here now." Armstrong replied. "Would you have any idea as to what caused that hole in the sky?"

"Maybe if we had been here when it first opened…" Helen began.

"What she means is that we arrived right as the armor-suits were already floating back inside the vortex, we didn't see how all of this began; we don't even know exactly what happened." Itziar finished explaining.

"Well, it was worth a try." Armstrong said absent-minded.

No one besides the Elrics and the Rockbells knew that those girls were from another world, though people like Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, Maes Hughes, Louis Armstrong and some others could notice they were different from the average teen-woman.

"Hey." Roze called their attention. "I think Al just fainted."

Itziar was the first to react this time. She immediately brought a hand to Al's head and seemed to get in deep concentration, after a second she retired her hand.

"He's alright." She informed everyone. "Just fainted though…"

"Though…" Armstrong was expecting her to continue.

"Well, it may seem odd." Itziar tried to explain. "It was as if a part of his conscience wasn't here but some place else. I don't believe it to be dangerous, just strange."

"Well, he did say he could split his soul and that way get control over other things, like some of those armors…" Armstrong remembered.

"That may explain it." Itziar nodded.

"Then that means a part of his conscience is right now in one of those suits of armor?" Helen asked. "In the other side of that vortex?"

"Yes." Itziar nodded. "Wherever that place may be."

.---.

After some consideration Itziar and Helen decided to make their way to Rizenbul, and took Al with them. Sure enough he would be more comfortable to awake in a familiar place, and they too could use a day or two in a place like that, to find out what the situation was in Amestris, and to learn everything that had happened since they disappeared.

Winry was extremely happy to see Helen and Itziar arrive to her door. Though she worried slightly when seeing an unconscious Al with them, her worry didn't last for too long.

The girls talked for what seemed like hours as they waited for Al to wake up and tell what he may had discovered before deciding their next move. Though Helen and Winry were the ones doing the talking; while Itziar remained silent, constantly turning her head in the direction of the window of the room where Al slept, from their spot in the backyard.

What really surprised Helen and Itziar the most was seeing Al looking younger than one could have expected from someone the same age as them. Though they too still looked considerably younger than they actually were, more like the age those in their world believed they were. Which they believed could be something unconsciously provoked by themselves, as they were always praying that they parents wouldn't notice they weren't the age they were supposed to be. Though, in Al's case, his youth had a much more reasonable explanation. Even if he had technically lived for sixteen years, his body had been lost in the Gate for three years, and so when he recovered his body two years before it was the body of an eleven-year-old instead of the one of a fourteen-year-old.

.---.

It was late at night, Itziar was the only one still up, or so she thought.

She suffered of insomnia, had had it since her six months as subject of an experiment. She was almost sure that what provoked it was her permanent fear that one day she would wake up and find herself back in that lab, strapped to the bed, and with a man injecting her that awful fluid into her veins.

She had also discovered that the only thing that was able to calm her nerves and sooth her, at least enough for her to get a good night's sleep was herbal tea with a bit of honey. She had had the chance to buy some on their way to the Rockbell house and was in that moment getting the water to boil.

"Hello…" A voice called from behind her.

Itziar almost threw up the bag with the herbs used for the tea when she heard the voice.

"Hello…" She finally answered.

"Sorry for scaring you, it wasn't my intention." He replied, it was Al, he had finally awoken.

"It's alright. I just got a bit surprised that I didn't 'sense' you." Itziar replied while getting her tea ready. "I'm doing some tea for me, you want some?"

"Sure." Al nodded.

So Itziar brought out another cup and served some more tea. Some minutes later they were sitting at the kitchen table, slowly sipping their tea. Silence reigned all the while, but it was a soothing silence.

Finally Itziar finished drinking her tea and got up to put the cup in the sink, she had just turned around when a question from Al got her off balance.

"Excuse me, I hadn't asked you before." He commented in a low voice. "Who are you?"

The sound of broken porcelain filled the room a millisecond after the cup fell from Itziar's hands. She didn't answer Al's question, she didn't even turn to look at him. She just opened the door that lead to the backyard and ran out.

.---.

The following morning, at breakfast, Helen had the strong suspicion her friend hadn't had any sleep the previous night; it was noticeable in the bags under her eyes and the red pupils, which also signaled she had been crying for a long time.

"¿Estás bien Itziar (Are you okay Itziar)?" Helen dared ask, in Spanish for more privacy.

"Just fine Helen, just fine." Itziar did answer in English, though it was an obvious lie. "So, are we leaving for Central any time soon?"

"Yes, right after we're finished with breakfast." Helen replied.

"Then I better go take a bath before we leave." Itziar declared standing from the table. "I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Are you sure you don't want to eat some more before, child?" Pinako asked worriedly when seeing the girl's plate was almost full still.

"No thank you Mrs. Pinako." Itziar replied with a false smile. "It's no offense to your cooking. I'm just not hungry right now."

They could all see clearly something was terribly wrong with her; but sadly there was no way for them to know what it was.

.---.

Helen, Itziar, Al and Wrath were really surprised to find Captain Riza Hawkeye waiting for them at the train-station. They knew of her promotion thanks to Winry, who had told them all the most recent news.

"Why have you brought him here?" Riza asked raising a brow when seeing the one who was supposed to be the only remaining homunculus.

"We believe he may be able to help us." Helen answered simply.

"Well, I'll trust your judgment." Riza finally said. "I know you may be wondering what I'm doing here right now."

"The thought crossed our minds, yes." Helen nodded.

"I just came to deliver this to you." Riza said handing them each an object.

"Silver watches…" Al murmured.

"These are 'State Alchemist' watches." Helen declared recognizing them immediately. "Why are you giving these to us?"

"They belong to you." Riza answered simply. "In fact, Helen, you'll find out that watch is in fact the one you were given when you approved the 'State Alchemist Examination', several years ago."

And right she was, inside the watch was a picture of her, Ed and Al together when they were little, and there was also a date written, the date when they had made that promise of being friends forever.

"But what about us?" Al asked. "As far as I can remember I never became a State Alchemist, they wouldn't allow me to present the exam."

'I'm not even sure if what I'm capable of doing can even be considered as alchemy.' Itziar thought to herself but said nothing.

"That's right Al." Riza nodded. "But after what happened two years ago, with everything you three and Ed did. The members of the new parliament decided they had to give a logical and easy explanation for everything all of you had done; so they decided to give you and Itziar the status of State Alchemists too; they've even given you aliases, the Soul and Star Alchemists respectively. Oh, and Helen, both you and Ed were promoted."

"Wow, promoted without even being here, that must be a record." Helen said with a low tint of sarcasm.

"It happens, just like with Hughes." Riza nodded. "Ed is now considered as Colonel, under Brigadier General Mustang's command, and you're Lieutenant-Colonel."

"My brother will surely be thrilled when he finds out." Al said with a smile.

"And you can be sure he'll make fun of the fact that he finally got to be my superior, at least officially." Helen added with a grin.

"It makes no difference." Al replied. "You'll always be the one to keep him in check."

"Just like Lieu…I mean, Captain Hawkeye used to do with Colonel Mustang." Helen replied almost chuckling.

Riza flushed at the memory.

"I have a feeling that whatever Edward's reaction might be, you'll know it very soon…" Itziar told them suddenly.

Her voice and mainly her words immediately called the other's attention, especially because she hadn't spoke until then.

"Itziar…" Helen murmured.

"I can feel it." Itziar said putting a knee on the ground, and touching it with both hands. "Right under our feet…the earth is shifting."

Suddenly the earth seemed to vibrate slightly.

"What was that?" Riza got a hand to her guns almost immediately.

"Another vortex?" Al asked in alert too.

"No." Itziar answered. "I believe that was me."

"What?" They were all confused. "How?"

"Itziar…" Helen had a feeling she knew what was happening, but wasn't fully sure yet.

"I think that, somehow, I'm regaining my powers." Itziar declared seriously.

And no one knew if that was something extraordinarily good, or terribly bad.

.---.

In a matter of hours Itziar could demonstrate she had definitely gotten her powers back. She could easily move objects with just thinking about them, she could also levitate and soon had to go back to wearing gloves to stop from changing everything she touched.

"Why is this happening?" Helen asked thoughtfully. "I thought you had lost all your powers after you used your power as the Stone to revive Ed?"

"I thought that too." Itziar murmured, then she understood. "I wasn't the only one there, Al too used his power to bring Ed back."

"But that's because the two of you needed to be there." Helen reminded her. "Because each of you had the power of half of the Stone."

"But did we really?" Itziar asked. "Were each of us really only a half of the Stone?"

"You're getting me more and more confused by the moment."

"Just think Helen. What if we weren't each half of the Stone, but a full Stone? Then with Al's power it would have been more than enough to revive Ed and the only thing I got from being there in that moment was a free trip back to our own world."

"That would explain why when Ed and I did that transmutation to bring you back I too ended back in our world…" Helen seemed to agree with Itziar's theory.

"I wasn't dead, so you had no need to sacrifice yourself; so getting to the Gate only made you return to our world, same as with me."

Their chat, however interesting, was abruptly interrupted when the ground under them shook violently, making some already cracked buildings collapse.

"That wasn't me, I swear!" Itziar said immediately.

Right then they saw a building was about to fall on top of some children.

"No!" Itziar yelled extending both of her hands.

With her telekinesis she pushed away the debris, making it fall behind the kids instead of on top of them. She repeated the motion several times, trying to keep safe as many people as she could. Those whom she couldn't stop from being injured, she healed them.

Helen too used her basic techniques and some alchemy to make stone-columns emerge from the ground to stop the buildings from collapsing completely. They wouldn't be a permanent measure, but it certainly helped for the moment being.

In a certain moment Helen noticed a girl standing in a house's porch, the roof was about to fall on her. Itziar was too occupied at the moment with another explosion so Helen decided to act. She ran as fast as she could and in the last moment pushed the girl and rolled with her out of the way of the rocks.

"Are you alright?" Helen asked the kid.

And right as the kid nodded and turned to run she heard another voice calling her name, a voice she knew too well.

"Helen?"

* * *

And so one part of this fic ends and the next one begins. As everyone who's read the index of this fic knows this part is the shortest one of all. The next chapter will wrap up the rest of the movie and will bring us all to the last part of this fic, which is completely independent. And in which there'll be romance everywhere! (Hope you'll like it) For the time being, don't forget to leave review. 


	13. Someday, Somehow

**Chapter 12. ****Someday, Somehow…**

Helen was almost too afraid to turn around and see if it was really him, but finally she got on her feet and slowly turned.

"Ed?" She asked, her voice shaking badly.

"Helen!" Ed cried out. "It's really you!"

A second later Helen could feel herself being practically crushed in Ed's tight embrace.

From what they found out in the following minutes the teenager-women learned that Al had gone back to the hidden city with Wrath, where he had ended up transmuting Wrath and the until-then-still-alive Gluttony, which as a consequence opened a door to the world where Ed had been living until then.

Another thing they learnt was that Ed hadn't arrived alone. Along with him had arrived two or more strange ships that flew and were full of soldiers in suits of armor (like the ones in Lior), leaded by some crazy woman that wanted to conquer Amestris.

"Well." Helen said after hearing the explanation. "Then we can agree in three things."

"Which are?" Al asked.

"One: We're happy to see each other again." Helen enumerated slowly. "Two: The woman Ed just told us about is nuts; and Three: We've got to stop her from destroying Amestris the way not even the homunculi managed to, two years ago."

The three agreed with all of her statements.

**OoO**

A stone column could be seen as it rose into the sky, three certain alchemists with their hands on it, making it grow. Itziar levitated a few feet above them, using her telekinesis to deflect the explosions from hitting them.

Until there was one she couldn't stop and all four of them lost their balance and almost fell off the enormous structure. With some effort they managed to pull themselves back on their feet, and right then they saw Brigadier Mustang approaching them in an aerostatic balloon.

"Why am I not surprised to see you four in the middle of all this?" Roy asked sarcastically.

"Why is it that as soon as they see us, everyone believes we're responsible for what's going on?" Helen asked with a sly grin.

"Well, they have a reason to believe us responsible this time." Al said, ashamed of himself.

"Come on bro, spirits up." Ed said poking his arm. "It's not like that woman is invincible, we aren't the best alchemists for nothing."

"Who told you such a lie?" Itziar said with a smirk.

"That comment includes you too, you know?" Ed pointed on.

"Technically not." Itziar replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "I'm still not sure if I can be considered an alchemist…"

"Well, for us you're an alchemist, and that's that." Ed insisted.

"Come on Full Metal, Weaver, Star, Soul." Mustang called the four of them by their aliases on purpose. "Get to work."

"Yes sir!" Helen said, saluting in an almost comical fashion.

They made a stone 'arm' out of the column and ran by it to reach the main ship, Roy joined them immediately.

"So you're all back together…" Roy commented.

"It surprises you?" Helen asked.

"Not really." Roy replied sincerely. "I always knew this was due to happen some day."

The fight against the 'crazy woman', as Helen called her, went pretty fast actually. In fact it was mostly the Elric brothers the ones doing the job there, while Itziar and Helen made sure the other ships didn't do even more damage meanwhile; Roy kept vigilance and intervened only when it was needed.

Eventually the quartet of teen State Alchemists and their Commanding Officer (even if it was still unofficial) claimed victory.

Itziar and Helen used their respective abilities to get to the other ships and guide them back to where the portal remained open. Ed did the same, breaking a part of the ship off the main part so Al and Roy would get to safety and he could take the rest to the other side.

Al got really upset at that, he didn't want to lose his brother again, not when he had just gotten him back after so long.

"I have to do this Al." Ed tried to reason with his younger brother. "The gals and I must get these things back to the other side of the gate."

"And why can't I go with you?" Al insisted stubbornly.

"Because once we've done that, we'll destroy the portals…" Ed explained. "I expect you to do the same with this side of the portal. We can't let anyone else from the other world get here, nor the other way around. Surely Itziar and Helen will close the portal to their own world too, it's the most we can do to guarantee Amestris's safety, as well as the other worlds'."

Ed didn't let Al argue with him any longer, he just turned around and stepped into the ship, he knew enough of machinery to get the ship in the right direction.

However, Al wasn't going to give up that easily; Ed had no idea how much like him his little brother actually was.

**OoO**

Ed stopped the ship midair when he reached the space in the 'hidden city', very close to the still wide-open portal. He jumped down to the roof of a nearby building, where the girls were waiting for him.

"I thought you had crossed already." Ed commented.

"We haven't." Helen stated the obvious. "Though we did send ahead the other ships; yours is the only one missing, but I believed you would want to be inside it to cross."

"Yes, I believe it would be a lot safer." Ed nodded. "But that still doesn't explain why you aren't gone already."

"Well, it's simple really." Itziar declared. "I don't think we should leave the city the way it is. After all, in a certain way it is our fault all this happened."

"Not yours, no." Ed refused. "Al's and mine in any case."

"But we too have messed with the history in this world." Helen pointed out. "Things would surely have been very different hadn't we been here. They might have been better, or maybe even worse, there's no way of really knowing. But there's nothing we can do to change the past. The only thing we can do now is help in the present to make a better future." She sighed. "In few words, we're planning to use Itziar's power to reestablish the city to the way it was before today's attack."

"Itziar's power?" Ed asked a bit confused.

"Yes." Itziar nodded. "After much debate we have agreed that I never really stopped being the Philosopher's Stone; which is why we were able to come here, why I can still change things even though I know nothing of alchemy at all."

"And exactly what do you need my help for?" Ed asked.

"To use my power at such a great scale I need help." Itziar explained. "I need an anchor, one or more people to 'keep my feet on the ground' to put it in colloquial terms."

"You need someone to make sure your power won't just leave you completely, leaving you extremely weak or even dead." Ed understood. "You need someone to give you the control you can't fully summon on your own."

"Precisely." Itziar nodded.

"Very well." Ed nodded. "I believe we can manage."

For extra help Helen and Ed drew a transmutation circle on the ground and then got on the limits of it, each on a side, while Itziar stood in the middle of it.

"Now!" Itziar called after having powered up enough.

Helen and Ed, already in their knees, clapped once and then slammed their hands on the limits of the array they had just drawn. At the same time Itziar raised her hands, freeing the energy she had summoned.

The circle illuminated with a mix of blue and red light that turned purple as it reached her and then was shot from her hands and into the sky.

All throughout the city everyone could see the purple column of light that seemed to emerge from the hole in the ground; when it reached a certain point in the sky it then became like a circle and began expanding, rapidly bathing the whole city with its lilac glow.

And the effect from that light was almost immediate as rocks seemed to return to their places, houses and streets repairing themselves at a very fast pace. There was no way to revive those already dead; however, the injured ones were immediately healed.

As soon as they were done Itziar collapsed to the ground. She was extremely tired, as she had never before done something like that.

"Are you alright Itziar?" Helen asked.

"Considerably more tired than when I healed Mrs. Izumi, but I think that's to be expected." Itziar replied as she tried to regularize her breathing.

"You healed the sensei?" Ed asked surprised.

"Yes." Itziar nodded. "The same day when Al and I revived you and then disappeared. In fact I believe Winry gave me a letter from Mrs. Izumi right before we left Rizenbul, but I don't remember exactly in which pocket I put it."

"You'll have time to remember later, now we need to get going." Helen reminded her.

"Right." Itziar nodded. "I'll go ahead to get the circle drawn, just so we don't end up ten feet above the ground. I'll be waiting for you."

Helen nodded silently, apparently understanding whatever her friend might be implying with those words.

Silence reigned for some seconds, it seemed almost as if both Helen and Ed were fighting with themselves for some reason. Finally, it was Helen the one who made the move.

"Ed…" She called to him.

"Yes…" Ed turned around to look at her.

"Well…it's just that I…I wanted to tell you…" Helen didn't know how to say it. "Dios, ¿por qué tiene que ser tan difícil (God, why must it be so difficult)?"

"Helen?" Ed was confused, what could have his friend so stressed out?

"Don't worry." Helen finally said with a false smile. "Have a good trip."

"Yeah…you too…" Ed sounded doubtful but didn't know what else to say.

Helen had just given a few steps away when she seemed to change her mind all of the sudden; she spun around sharply and ran back to Ed. He just had enough time to open his arms and receive her before she was already with him…kissing him.

"Wow…" Ed couldn't even find words to express himself once the kiss was over.

Helen was blushing a very dark shade of red.

"Helen…what…" Ed wasn't sure if that was a question he should ask.

"It's just…I just…" Helen was babbling, and she knew it.

It was that she suddenly felt shy, really shy, just like when she had arrived to Amestris for the first time, back when she had been eight-years-old. But she was no longer eight but sixteen, and she knew she had to say what was in her heart because that might very well be her last chance to do it.

"I couldn't leave this time without letting you know…without telling you I…Yo te amo (I love you)." She finally said it.

Not even Helen knew why she had said the main part of her confession in Spanish, maybe a tiny bit of her was still afraid that he would know; but the reasonable part knew that Ed would have no problem understanding those three words, after all, she was the one who had taught Spanish to him and Al.

"Really?" Ed's unexpected question caught her off balance.

But maybe what surprised her wasn't exactly the question in itself, but the fact that, for the first time since she knew him, he could notice nervousness in his voice.

"Yes." Helen answered in a very low whisper.

"I'm so happy…" Ed whispered back, taking her face in his hands, and to make the moment even more especial he too spoke in Spanish to say: "Yo también te amo…(I love you too…)"

And with that, he kissed her.

After they kissed Ed just held her tightly, her head in the crock of his neck. It was curious how even though he wasn't exactly tall, she was still slightly shorter than him.

Helen knew she had taken enough time and Itziar would be waiting for her, but Ed didn't let go of her right away.

"Ed…I need to go." She murmured to him. "I don't want to, but I really need to."

"I promise you Helen, I'll find a way for us to be together." Ed said while still holding her. "I don't know how I will do it, nor how long it will take me, but I promise to you, I'll do it. I'll find some way to get to you."

"And I'll be there, waiting for you, always." Helen assured him. "No matter how long it takes, know I'll always wait for you."

**OoO**

Itziar was sitting on a piece of debris, waiting patiently for Helen to arrive. And as she waited a torrent of memories came to her mind, as fresh as when they had first taken place:

Flashback 

She was expecting her captor to arrive any moment with the food and maybe do some more tests to keep record of whatever it was that was happening to her with all those injections.

But before the man arrived she heard what seemed to be a huge explosion on the top, followed by several more, not as loud, a lot of crashing, hits and more. And then, when the door finally was opened (blown up is more like it), the one who entered wasn't the scientist, but someone who seemed to be inside a huge armor.

The girl panicked, and perhaps it was that that made her able to rip the straps on her wrists, she managed to move her hands and make everything around her fly in different directions.

"Don't panic." From the armor came a soft male voice. "I'm not here to hurt you. My brother, a friend and I just arrived, we came here to help you."

"He…help?" She asked, unsure. "Really?"

"Yes." The one in the armor, obviously Al said approaching her.

"Oh, gracias al cielo." She said relieved.

End of Flashback 

That's how she had met him. After passing those awful months in the laboratory, he had been the one to finally get her out, back to the light.

'In that moment I didn't stop to think why he was in that armor, nor who could he really be…' Itziar thought. 'I just had to hear his soft voice to be sure everything would be alright, that as long as I were with him, I would be safe.'

She could remember when both of them became the Philosopher's Stone:

Flashback 

Al brought a semi-unconscious Itziar out of the sand.

"Itziar!" Helen called out happily.

"Don't." Itziar's sudden words stopped the other girl before being hugged.

"What's wrong Itziar?" Ed asked, surprised by the other girl's attitude.

"Neither you nor Helen must touch me, Al neither." Itziar replied.

"But why?" Helen asked.

"Because we're now Philosopher Stones." Itziar sentenced with a tone of finality.

"Is that true, brother?" Ed asked turning to Al.

For all answer Al opened slightly his armor by the front and showed to him the red stone that now occupied the space inside.

End of Flashback 

'It was hard in that time.' Itziar told herself. 'Hard to know that we couldn't touch Helen, nor Ed; because we didn't know what might happen if we did. And the only comfort we had was to be able to touch each other…'

But the one thing that she remembered the most was that day, when they had decided to use their power to revive Edward…

Flashback 

Itziar seemed to be about to begin but then noticed she was trembling slightly.

"Are you alright?" Al asked worriedly.

"Yes…not really..." Itziar looked down ashamed. "I admit I'm scared, really scared. I don't know what will happen with us when we do this."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Al assured her, pulling her face up by her chin. "It's okay to be afraid." He took her hands in his. "And don't worry…I promise you I'll always be here for you, always…"

"Thank you Al…" Itziar whispered back and she nodded, she was ready.

End of Flashback 

"You promised…" Itziar sobbed lowly, tears falling down her cheeks like the previous night. "Yet you didn't keep your promise…" she sobbed a bit louder as she fell to her knees. "You promised to be with me always with me…yet right now you aren't…Oh Al…"

**OoO**

By the time Helen finally joined Itziar the blue-green eyed girl had already dried her tears, she didn't want her friend to worry.

"Are we ready to go?" Itziar asked.

"I should be the one asking that question." Helen said as a matter of fact. "Have you recovered already from the energy-drain?"

"I'm just fine." Itziar said, though it was in part a lie. "Come on, lets go now, before you come to regret the decision you took and want to stay with Ed."

"I won't regret the decision I took." Helen assured Itziar. "And I know that somehow we'll be together again, someday."

Itziar nodded in silence.

'I can't believe I'm hoping for two opposite things at the same time…' she thought. 'I wish the Elrics will find a way to get to us, just so Helen will be happy; and yet at the same time I wish they never manage to do it, just so I don't have to suffer Al's indifference.' She sighed. 'In any case…this might be the last time we know of them so…'

"Adiós…Al…" Itziar whispered under her breath.

And so they vanished from Amestris and just a second later found themselves back in their own world, just like they had expected, no time at all had passed since their unexpected trip.

With some problems due to the fact that their powers didn't exactly work in their own world the two gals managed to will the portal to close.

"Mission accomplished." Helen declared with satisfaction.

"Yes, now it's time to go on with our lives…" Itziar added.

Though deep down she wasn't sure if she would be able to manage to do that, and Helen…

"Don't take long Ed…" Helen whispered to the wind right then. "I'll be waiting for you…"

It was until then that Itziar noticed Helen was missing one of her forelocks of hair; and she didn't have to be the wisest one to know where it was.

**OoO**

In the other world, Ed had some trouble accepting the fact that his brother had gotten his way and joined him when going through the gate. But even then he was happy to have his little brother there, and also when he noticed he was also recovering his lost memories.

Noa, to compensate them for the problems she had unintentionally caused, offered to get them all a ride to someplace else where they could start again.

While they traveled Ed brought out his silver watch and opened it. It was his same old pocket-watch, with the words "Don't forget. 03/Oct/10" and next to those words there was a photo of Helen, Al and him, taken just some months before Trisha's death. And now another thing had been added to the photo and those words, a lock of brunette hair, of Helen's hair.

"You miss her already, brother?" Al asked.

"Yes Al, I miss her dearly." Ed answered truthfully. "It's one of the worst things, to lose the one you love, right after you discovered that love was reciprocated."

"But you at least know she loves you back." Al replied.

"Yes." Ed nodded. "And she said she believed we would one day meet again, and she would be waiting for me. And yet I can't help but wonder what will happen with her if I never get to her. Will she remain alone all her life?"

"That's just how things are brother, life is a risk. We should know it." Al replied.

Suddenly Ed noticed his brother's face paled, and his eyes darkened at the same time.

"Al?" Ed asked worriedly.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" Al began insulting himself as he hit his head with his own hand.

"Brother?" Ed was even more worried.

"How could I have forgotten Itziar, brother? How could I?" Al asked, distress obvious in his voice and his expression. "I promised her I would always be there for her, yet I didn't keep my promise. When she needed me, I couldn't even remember her name!"

"So you love Itziar…" Ed said knowingly. "Don't worry brother, you'll have the chance to make things right."

"You think so brother?" Al asked. "You really think we'll meet them again."

"We will Al, I promise you." Ed replied confidently. "Someday, somehow, we'll get to them. To the girls we love."

* * *

Oh...such a cute ending, or at least I think it's cute...And so another saga end, the third trip of this group of valiant warriors...and we're just missing one, or two. The Fourth Trip, the trip of love...warning to all of those who don't like romance, this fic is about to take a serious turn to the road of love; there will still be some details of adventure, but we all know that the evils have been defeated, now our main characters need only to find something that makes them truly happy, which will be the whole purpouse of the fourth saga in this fic. Also, in it we will learn more about Helen's and Itziar's world and lives, and what makes them so alike and so different from the Elric brothers.

You can't miss the next part, it'll be great!

And please don't forget to leave a review here!

P.S. There was someone who asked me to leave Wrath alive, I'm sorry, I couldn't. For the simple reason that I had nothing for him to do or be, and technically he was needed along with Gluttony to open the portal...anyway, I promise I'll do my best to be nicer to him in the next fic I write.


	14. Past and Present

**Chapter 13. ****Past and Present **

Time passed, one year, and another, and another. Helen and Itziar liked to hang out together every weekend; and they carried their silver pocket-watches everywhere. When their parents had asked them why the watches, they said it was like a 'friendship token', and for them those watches were that, and much more.

Finally came the time when they were about to graduate: Itziar from High-School and Helen from Middle-School. Their proms were two weeks apart and though Itziar had no real interest of going to her own prom (according to her because she had no one to go with), she was still going to assist to Helen's, as she had been invited and couldn't refuse.

However, a certain Friday, Helen had just gotten out from school when she saw Itziar waiting for her right outside.

"Itziar, what are you doing here?" Helen asked surprised at seeing the other girl there.

"I came to pick you up." Itziar answered simply. "I phoned your mother already and she said it was ok as long as you got home in time for dinner."

"Great." Helen liked the idea wholeheartedly. "You brought your dad's car?"

"Is that a joke?" Itziar replied with a sly grin. "Technically I'm still seventeen, you know? One year too young to have a license."

"True…Sometimes I forget we're not nineteen, at least not here."

"How can you forget? I mean, you're attending ninth grade, surrounded by dozens of fifteen-year-olds, who believe you're their same age."

"You're right there; but still, sometimes it just feels so unreal…all this I mean. Each day when I wake up, right before I open my eyes I think that maybe, just maybe, when I do I'll see the countryside through the window of my room at Auntie Pinako's house; or maybe even hear Brigadier Mustang's loud voice yelling from the hallways that Ed, Al and I are gonna be late again to a meeting with him."

"I know that's what you would like to believe Helen, but we have to accept the fact that we're no longer in Amestris." Itziar sighed. "It's hard for me too, you know? I had gotten so used to my telekinetic abilities I sometimes believe I will be able to just shake my hand and all the things will come to me."

Helen didn't answer; even being as good friends as those two were; Helen believed that was one topic Itziar wouldn't be able to understand, and that was because Helen didn't miss a thing but a person: Edward.

"Well, anyway, I didn't come get you so we would get all melancholic…again." Itziar said as a matter of fact.

"Then, where are we going now?" Helen asked with interest. "To the park? The beach? The botanic garden?"

"Neither." Itziar replied calmly. "We're going to the public library downtown, to check some old newspapers."

"Library?" Helen asked with a moan. "Newspapers? Itziar, if you need to do your homework don't pull me along. I've had enough of schoolwork for a full year…"

"I don't have any homework Helen. Today was my last day of classes, same as with you. No, this is not about school, there's just something important I want to show you. I believe you'll find it quite…interesting."

Helen didn't ask anything else, she just got on a bus with Itziar and they went downtown, to the city library.

.--.

The newspaper archive was located in the basement of the public library. As soon as Helen and Itziar arrived the 'older' girl lead the way to one of the machines where one could check the old papers, local and international.

"Exactly what do you want me to see?" Helen asked as she saw her friend quickly go through dozens of pages.

"This." Itziar seemed to reach the page she wanted right then and showed it to Helen.

At first Helen didn't seem to understand what it was her best friend wanted her to see, until a couple of seconds later, when her mind registered fully what was written in the header:

'_Amazing Advances have been achieved in the topic of aeronautics by two exceptional young investigators: Edward and Alphonse Elric.'_

"¡Dios Bendito (Holy God)!" Helen cried out in shock as she jumped on her feet, violently throwing back the chair she had been sitting on.

"Miss, this is a library, keep silent please." The woman in charge scolded Helen.

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry." Helen quickly apologized.

Itziar chuckled quietly as her friend got back on her seat.

"When did you find this?" Helen asked Itziar in an urgent whisper.

"It was some days ago, while I was doing some research for my final investigation for science class." Itziar explained. "At first I thought I had read wrong, but after a while I understood it was true, very true. And, it isn't the only one."

With that said Itziar passed some more pages until she stopped in one, the heading read:

'_One more discovery on aeronautics achieved by the Elric Brothers.'_

And to that followed even more:

'_The Elric Brothers, the greatest aeronauts the world has ever seen.' 'They work as if they were a dozen men inside the bodies of two.' 'Thanks to the Elric brothers more advances have been done in aeronautics in the last year than in the whole past decade.' '"With the pace this brothers are working at it wouldn't surprise me if we were able to fly freely from one country to another in just a few more years." Assures the Prime Minister from France.'_

Helen almost couldn't believe what she was reading, everything her beloved and his brother had gone through. All their achievements, they were documented, right there, in front of her eyes. There was the proof that he was alive.

"Of what date are these newspapers?" Helen asked curious.

"Well, some go back to 1919, right after the end of World War I." Itziar answered. "But the ones we're going through right now go from the 1923 to the 1926."

"1926?" Helen was in shock. "But that's eighty years ago. You mean to tell me Ed is right in the same world as us, but eight decades in the past?"

"I'm afraid that's the truth." Itziar nodded.

Helen sighed, at least she knew where Ed was, now she only needed finding out how to get him to her time. Finding some comfort in that though she continued going through the papers, not finding anythincg else about them for a while; until her eyes set in the next heading and she found proof of another thing:

'_Edward Elric rejects the hand of Princess Isabelle in marriage. Rumor says he's already engaged to a foreign lady.'_

Itziar knew the kind of reaction that heading was going to provoke on her amber-eyed friend, so she wasn't really surprised when seeing her get even closer to the machine displaying a copy of the old note and began reading it:

'_During the most recent visit of the world-famous aeronauts Edward and Alphonse Elric to the country the High Queen insisted on offering a Ball in their honor. In it the Elric Brothers were officially named as Knights of the Rosse Order and were offered a state in the best zone of the country. Yet they declined, saying they still had a lot of travel to do, experiments to run, things to discover. However, whenever interrogated about the reason behind all their work, they just stayed silent. But the greatest notice of the night came when the High Queen offered the hand of her eldest daughter to Edward Elric and he kindly rejected her. That was a great surprise for everyone, as no one could really understand why would anyone refuse to marry a princess, especially one as beautiful as Princess Isabelle. However a servant assured he heard the Elric brothers talking about a woman Mr. Edward is already in love with but couldn't go back to until they have achieved their goal. We don't know much about this mysterious lady except that she isn't from this country, nor is she famous; the most our informants were able to find out about her was that she answers to the name of Ellen, or Helen. (…)'_

The note went on but Helen needed to read no more. She was already gasping at what she had read in those lines.

"So he still remembers me…" Helen whispered with a hopeful smile. "Even with the distance and the time that has passed…he still chose me above that princess."

"Well of course he chose you." Itziar said smiling as well. "After all, your love is real."

"I'm ashamed to say that even I myself doubt it sometimes." Helen sighed sadly. "It's been so long since the last time I saw him…"

"Just three years." Itziar replied.

"And still I sometimes feel as if it's been so much longer…Oh Itziar, sometimes it's just so hard. I feel almost as if I broke more and more each day I pass without him." She sighed. "I just wish I could see him again…"

"You will, I'm sure you will. Never lose hope."

And even then Itziar wasn't sure what it was she really wanted the most: for those words to be truth or a lie. If it were the first Helen would surely be very happy; but even if with the other option Helen might feel even worse, at least Itziar wouldn't feel so miserable every time she saw Al and knew he didn't remember her.

They went through some more headings until another one really caught Helen's attention:

'_Elric Brothers plan an expedition to North America.'_

"North America?" Helen asked. "They came here?"

"Don't get all excited yet." Itziar suddenly sounded serious, too serious. "I'm afraid you won't like the next one."

That was more than enough to make Helen hurry to the next notice; it seemed to be just of a few days later. The moment she saw that heading she gasped.

'_Terrible explosion devastates an encamping in the Sierra Madre. Dozens are wounded and at least two are believed to be dead. Authorities fear the ones to die were the famous aeronauts Edward and Alphonse Elric.'_

"No…" Helen covered her mouth to prevent a cry from leaving her throat. "This just can't be true, it can't…Ed can't be dead. He promised to me…" she couldn't hold back a sob, even if she still fought to keep her tears at bay. "He promised he would find a way to me…"

"Oh Helen…" Itziar held her friend. "I wish there was something more I could do."

"When did this happen?" Helen wanted to know.

"Today…in a sense." Itziar replied. "It happened a day like today, but in 1926."

"I can't believe this…" Helen murmured sadly. "After these three years, after having fought with myself to keep hopes up…this is destiny's answer."

"Destiny doesn't exist, Helen. And I don't believe all the pieces have been set yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Am I the only one who's silver watch is growing hot all of a sudden?"

Helen immediately got a hand inside her own pocket and could see that, effectively, her watch too was growing hot.

"Why is this happening?" Helen asked.

"I'm not sure but I have a feeling we'll be finding out soon…" Itziar began.

However, the rest of her sentence was drowned by a very loud explosion. For the noise and the way the ground and walls vibrated it was obvious it couldn't have been too far away.

Helen didn't even wait, she immediately pocketed her watch once again and sprinted off in the direction of the door.

"Helen, wait!" Itziar called after her.

When Helen didn't stop Itziar took their bags and ran behind her friend, completely ignoring the woman insisting to her to keep quite.

.--.

Helen didn't seem to notice how fast she was actually running, so much that no one could get a look at her face as she passed by.

Itziar, on the other hand, wasn't as fast as her friend, so instead she took the trolley that circled the downtown part of the city. That way she could get to where the explosion had taken place right behind her best friend.

There was a mob of people outside a construction zone, some parts had fallen, perhaps due to the explosion, and for that reason no one entered the place.

Somehow Helen and Itziar both managed to slip inside without being noticed. The two walked carefully through the debris, praying to the saints that the rest of the structure wouldn't fall on top of them.

Suddenly they heard some voices and could see a man taking some rocks away from a second young man so they could both stand up.

"Ed?" Helen asked nervously, yet full of hope. "Is that you?"

The man that had been moving the rocks turned around sharply when hearing that voice.

"Helen?" He asked, fear and doubt drowning his voice.

Next him Al too, rose to his feet. Itziar gasped the moment she saw him, he looked so gallant, so handsome…

There they were…the miracle had come true.

.--.

Surprisingly they didn't have too much trouble getting outside before the rescue-teams found them in that place. They hailed a cab and soon reached Helen's home, which was closest to where they were than Itziar's (she lived on the other side of the city).

Helen's family owned a two-story house, though they only occupied the first one; the second, which could be accessed by a staircase on the side of the house, they rented it to the ones who arrived during certain seasons to study or work. Also, a part of the family's home had been turned into a cyber-café; which Helen attended on afternoons and weekends.

When they reached the house Helen decided to see her mother first.

"Hello Grandma, have you seen my mom?" Helen asked to the elderly woman sitting in the living-room, knitting.

"Helen, my dear." The woman greeted the girl with a smile. "Your mother is in the cyber-café, waiting for you to replace her."

"Alright." Helen nodded and turned to leave. "By the way, Itziar and two more friends came with me, I think we'll order some pizzas and eat in the office."

"Ok sweety." The woman nodded.

The 'office' was a small room behind the cyber, the one that connected it to the rest of the house, and in which were kept all the papers regarding their business.

As they had expected Helen's mother left the cyber as soon as Helen arrived. Itziar ordered some pizzas by the phone and after getting some cokes from the kitchen they closed the door to the main house and while keeping an eye on every possible client that might enter they sat on the office and began discussing the most recent events.

"How could this happen?" Helen asked.

She was sitting next to Ed, holding him tightly, as if she feared he might vanish into thin air any moment if she didn't.

"We aren't sure ourselves." Ed answered. "Al and I were in the mountains. We had done some research about the ancient civilizations that existed here in your country and thought we might find something in their old registries. Whether you may believe it or not they were quite wise people, I was hoping that we would find something there to get to you. But then there was that bizarre accident, an awful explosion…the next thing I knew Al and I were covered by debris and when I was trying to get us both out I heard Helen call my name."

"Itziar found old newspapers." Helen told them. "We could see everything you did in the past, how you became world-wide famous. And then we read about that accident…" she sobbed lightly. "I began crying…I couldn't help it…I thought I had lost you…"

"You'll never lose me, I swear." Ed said kissing her forehead.

"Any idea how we actually got here?" Al asked.

"I might have one." Itziar answered. "Ed, what was the last thing you thought about when the explosion took place?"

"Helen." Ed answered without a doubt.

"That might be the answer." Itziar told them. "If my reasoning is correct Ed, you have a lock of Helen's hair in your power, while Helen has the thread-bracelet you gave her. You just said you were thinking in her the moment the explosion happened, and I can assure you she was thinking about you. So…" she breathed deeply and continued. "My theory is that somehow you managed to connect in that moment; seeing as how you and Al were in such an obvious danger Helen's wish for you to be safe 'pulled' you out of the disaster, literally."

"Then why did the newspaper said they had died?" Helen asked.

"Maybe because they never found them, they considered them dead." Itziar reasoned.

"Perhaps your power even helped us get here." Ed suggested. "After all, you believed you still had the powers of the Philosopher's Stone, didn't you?"

"Not in this world, not." Itziar replied. "Things are very different in this world, very different from what they are like in Amestris; and I'm not talking only about alchemy. Here I have no telekinesis, no levitation, and my blood is certainly the normal kind of blood; in Helen's case she has no alchemy, no 'superhuman' abilities, and also her real flesh-and-bone hands."

The brothers turned to Helen immediately who, to prove Itziar was right, extended her hands in front of them, they were real hands, no automail.

"How can that be possible?" Ed asked amazed.

"It's not that hard to understand, really." Itziar assured them. "It's all part of that thing you call 'Equivalent Exchange'. When we get back to our world we lose what we gained while being in Amestris, so in exchange we get back whatever it is we sacrificed to gain the other things."

Right then the pizza arrived, they ate and began chatting about the old times together, and also about everything each of them had done in the previous three years. They were so happy to be together once again.

.--.

By the end of the day Helen and Ed were officially going out, they had even gotten Helen's parents' permission. Even when the adults hadn't met Ed before they said they trusted their daughter; and anyway, it wasn't like they would be getting married the following month…

The Elric brothers also found a place to stay: the second story of Helen's house. They would stay there and pay by working in the cyber and fixing things, they were good at that.

Itziar on the other hand had done her best not to talk directly to Al, afraid to betray the deep sadness she still felt from what had happened the last time she had seen the boy.

However, many things had changed in those three years: Ed had really grown, almost six feet tall already, and he had also matured a lot; even if he still had his fiery temper, he had learned to reason before acting…most of the time. Al had also grown and recovered the years he had lost, making him look like what he really was, a nineteen year old; and even if the girls didn't know it yet, he had also recovered all of his memories…

.--.

The days passed slowly one by one, and each of them were a blessing for two certain teens. Classes were already over, they were only missing the prom. So Helen would make some breakfast for herself and the Elric brothers, then the three of them would go to the cyber; the girl would attend the clients while the brothers worked in some machine or another, they had quite a talent at fixing things even without alchemy.

It was rare for Itziar to join them; and they didn't know why. Whenever they asked her about that she would say she had a lot to do, getting all her papers ready to present her application for college, she wanted to study in one of the bests. And even then, Helen couldn't help but feel there was something more, something her friend wasn't telling them.

"Why won't Itziar come with us?" Al asked one day.

"I honestly don't know Al." Helen answered. "She's acting in such a strange way. I hadn't seen her be like this since a month after we returned."

"You mean she had acted this way before?" Ed asked.

"Yes." Helen nodded. "When we had just returned. She seemed to be sad, depressed; but she never told me the reason. After a while she seemed to overcome it and go on. I never expected her to go back to being like this." She sighed. "I just hope J.K. doesn't take advantage of this."

"Who's J.K.?" Al asked with interest.

"He's a boy about your age, well, our age, who's been pretending Itziar for several months." Helen explained. "Itziar hasn't answered him, but I hope she gets rid of him soon. I've heard rumors that he's violent, has hit his previous girlfriends. I don't want him to do that to Itziar."

"Don't worry Helen." Ed said seriously. "We won't let that happen."

"Brother is right." Al agreed. "As long as we're here, we won't let anything bad happen to Itziar. You can count with us on that."

"Thanks guys." Helen smiled at them.

.--.

Friday night Helen went to sleep nervous, the following day was the prom, and Ed would be going with her, she was very excited about that.

"It will be like my own personal fairytale…" Helen murmured to herself as she got in the bed.

Suddenly, right as she was trying to get comfortable she felt something strange, a sensation in her hands, as if they were cramped or something like that. However, the feeling passed soon and she again felt her hands normally.

"How weird…" Helen murmured as she closed her eyes.

* * *

And so the last saga begins (well, not really the last, but seeing as the last is only one chapter long...). You can expect lots and lots of romance in this one (I hope you people will like that). There won't be enemies like those in the previous sagas, but our characters will still have to deal with some difficulties.

Now, following what I myself said at the beggining of this fic, technically most of the dialogues in this chapter and the ones to come should have been in spanish, and believe me, it wouldn't have been hard for me to do it, but I thought you people might not like it. So just keep in mind that though it's written in english the real language is supposed to be spanish.

So, now that this saga has begun, the best is yet to come. What consequences will the Elrics' presence on Earth have? You will just have to sit tight and wait for the next chapter to find out.

Don't forget to review!


	15. Personal Fairytale

**Chapter 14. ****Personal Fairytale**

Itziar was sitting in her bed that night, propped up with the help of several pillows, her head turned so she could see the night-sky through the open window right behind her bed. In the small table to her right were a night-lamp, a CD player, a cup of herbal tea and a slightly old and handled envelope.

Almost out of habit Itziar turned on the lamp like she did every night, then did the same with the CD player. Some instrumental music began sounding, it was her favorite kind because it helped soothing her, along with the tea. She then opened the envelope, pulled the letter that was inside with one hand, while with the other one she held her cup of tea and began sipping it while reading:

'_Itziar: _

_Even as I write this letter I'm unsure if you'll ever receive it. However I'm hopeful, I believe that you, Helen and Ed will somehow find the way to return to Amestris, you will get this message, and then you'll know just how much you've really helped me, and my husband. You've given us back hope and happin__ess, and have allowed us a joy we never thought we would get to feel: the joy of being parents. That's right. We've finally gotten our greatest wish, I gave birth to my little boy: his name is Ian._

_I had wanted you to be his godmother, but as you aren't here I asked Al to be his godfather, in his name, Ed's, Helen's, and of course yours. I like to believe that that way you'll all be taking care of him in spirit. _

_Know that even if you're not here, my son will__ always know who you are, the one to whom I owe my health, and he owes his full life. _

_Again, thank you so much. _

_Yours truly, _

_Izumi.'_

Itziar had read that very same letter so many times she probably already knew it by heart, but it didn't matter, it was good for her to remember the good things that had come out from what had begun as the most awful suffering she'd ever lived, when she was in that lab. Those good things were the memories of all of those in Lior as they were healed, freed and saved; of that little girl, Elysia, smiling at his just-awoken father; the relief that showed in Captain Riza's face when seeing Colonel Roy had been fully healed; Helen's and Ed's present happiness at being finally together and…a certain photo that had come along with the letter.

The blue-green eyed girl pulled out from the envelope what looked like a card, it was a photo, a pretty photo in which appeared Izumi, with her husband standing next to her, while holding in her arms a cute baby, their son: Ian.

"To think that such terrible suffering and pain, could give others such great joys and wishes come true…" Itziar thought.

It was indeed something ironic.

.--.

Saturday morning finally came. Helen woke up once again feeling her hands cramped, almost as if she had bad circulation or something like arthritis (not likely as she was still young and had no antecedents of such sickness). However, the feeling lasted for less than a minute, and then she was feeling her hands all normal once again; so she pushed aside the feeling just as quickly as the sensation.

"Ready for your great day?" Helen's mother asked the teenager when she saw her going to the kitchen to get breakfast ready.

"Yes." Helen nodded with a big smile. "By the way, mom, have you seen Ed and Al?"

"Yes." The mother nodded. "They left you a note in the table and left with your father earlier this morning."

Helen was quite confused, why would Ed and Al go anywhere with her father? And anyway, her father still had to go to work that morning.

Helen took the note and read it:

'_Helen. _

_Sorry for not telling you this in person but I didn't want to wake you up so early. I had to run some errands downtown and your father offered to give Al and I a ride on his way to work, and we accepted. Don't worry for us, I promise we'll be there in time. _

_Love, Ed.'_

Helen was still wondering what could Ed need to do downtown. Even if he and Al had been in that world and time for already two weeks, and Helen had taken them several times to visit the shops downtown, se still wasn't sure if those two would be able to manage on their own and not get lost in the process.

.--.

Just as she had feared, in the end Helen had to leave for the school with only her parents, Ed and Al didn't make it back on time.

The ceremony in the school was at five o'clock, while the prom in itself was to be held at seven in a lounge of a fancy hotel.

Helen had to go directly from the school to the hotel, so she didn't get the chance to see if Ed had returned to the house, as he hadn't showed up in the ceremony.

The moment she saw just how distressed her best friend actually was Itziar made a decision; even when she had been evading the Elric brothers as much as humanly possible since their arrival for reasons only she fully comprehended, she decided she had to stop being so selfish and afraid of herself and just go look for the two brothers. So she hailed a cab and went to Helen's house.

Just as Itziar had expected Ed and Al were there, in the living room, arguing about having no idea of how to get to the hotel in time so as not to disappoint Helen. For what Itziar managed to make out of their discussion they had gotten lost after going to wherever it was they had to go, didn't make it back to the house in time to leave with the Calher's, and then discovered they didn't even know where the hotel the party was taking place at was located.

"Helen is going to be so furious and so disappointed…" Ed was cursing himself.

"If you would stop arguing amongst yourselves maybe you would notice me." Itziar called to them from the door.

"Itziar!" Ed called happily. "What are you doing here?"

"I believe you know the answer to that question Ed." Itziar replied with a wink. "I noticed you didn't arrive to the ceremony at the school, Helen noticed too; and she was very sad for that, I may add. After thinking for a while I deduced you would still be here and decided to come and get you. Now come on, lets go now, before the taxi decides to charge me more than what I'll be paying to him already."

The Elric brothers didn't wait a second more and immediately got inside the waiting cab along with Itziar. They were both wearing very elegant tuxedos, Ed's was all-black (shirt, pants and jacket), except for the dark-red tie; while Al's on the other hand was all-white with a sky-blue tie. They looked gorgeous.

They couldn't see Itziar's dress as she was wearing a silvery-gray long coat on top of it.

.--.

The cab managed to make it to the hotel in record time. Meaning they got there right when the graduated teens were about to enter.

Itziar pulled Al to the lounge through a side door, after giving Ed directions on how to get to the main entrance, where he would hopefully catch up with Helen before she entered with her classmates and their couples.

Al followed Itziar into the room, and it was until she handed her coat to a man at the door that he could see the dress she was wearing: it was just beautiful: long to the floor, with thin straps and a circular neck, it hugged her figure up to her hips, marking all her curves the right way, and from her hips downwards it was vaporous, it was a very light tone of blue, with some white crystals sewed in her neck and randomly in the cloth. Also, going from the straps and down were what could be catalogued like transparent sleeves, except they were loose and only covered her arms when she had them down. Her long light-auburn hair was kept in place with a beautiful silvery headdress that seemed to be braided into her hair. White slippers were the finishing touch to her attire.

"Beautiful…" Al whispered.

"Excuse me?" Itziar asked, she hadn't heard him.

"I said you look beautiful." Al told her.

"Ah, thanks Al…" Itziar blushed. "You look wonderful too…"

Right then the group of just-graduated teens and their respective couples made their entrance into the room. Itziar and Al immediately spotted Helen and Ed almost at the head of the row, they just couldn't be missed.

Helen was wearing a wine-red dress that crossed over one shoulder only, also from one side it reached right above her knee, while on the other it fell to her ankle. She was wearing simple gold jewelry, her hair had been braided and pinned around her head like a crown. Finally, dark-red high-heeled open-slippers completed her outfit.

.--.

Dinner began and on one table sat Itziar, then Helen, Ed, Al, Helen's parents, her older sister and brother-in-law.

Helen passed several full minutes thanking Itziar for having gone get Ed in time to make their entrance in the room, according to her some girls had been bothering her about not having a boyfriend or any boy to go with. But Ed's arrival right in time had not only shut those girl's mouths but left them in shock. They had never expected Helen to have such a handsome man for a boyfriend.

Itziar saw how her friend seemed to practically glow from joy, and that made her really happy as well. It was in a way a consolation for Itziar than even if she herself couldn't be happy, at least her best friend could, she really deserved it.

Itziar had no idea but Helen was thinking something along those same lines, she felt so happy having Ed with her, and she really wanted Itziar to be able to experience that happiness. She who knew the blue-green eyed girl better than any one else in the world (or worlds, for the matter), knew just how much Itziar wanted to find real love and be happy; and if there was someone who really deserved that kind of happiness, that was Itziar, after everything she had gone through in her life…

Once dinner was over Ed surprised everyone in the table by getting on his feet and offering his hand to Helen gallantly.

"Would you let me have this dance?" Ed asked with a wink.

"This and every dance of the night if you so wish." Helen replied with a smile and a very light blush as she took his hand. "I didn't know you could dance."

"One of the several things Al convinced me to learn to do while in Spain." Ed replied as he lead her to the dance-floor.

"You were in Spain?" Helen asked, quite surprised.

"Yes." Ed replied. "And in Germany, France, Italy, England and almost every other country in between those ones. Though we only were in Spain by-the passing, when we were going to take a ship to America."

"Well, it seems that many more things happened in your travels than what you've told me so far." Helen said with a smile as they easily fell into step with the dance, which was like a pop-ballad, not too slow, not too fast. "Like for example your situation with Princess Isabelle…"

"You know about that?"

"Yes. A note about it appeared in the newspapers; remember I told you Itziar found the notes? That's how we discovered you were already in our world but in a different time."

"Right, now I remember. That was quite a freaky situation, if you ask me. I mean, neither Al nor I had ever met the queen, less of all the princess. And yet it seemed so natural for them all to be offering her to me in marriage. I got the impression it was as if they were dealing with some kind of merchandise, and that certainly made me sick."

"Yes, I suppose it's quite offending if you see things that way. But what about the princess? Was she pretty?"

"Well, well, well…What is this I'm sensing here? Is it, jealousy?"

"No!" But Helen's blush gave her away.

"Don't worry, I would never betray you, not even with the thought."

"You better not." Helen sounded sincere in that threat.

"Anyway, I never really took a good look at her. Really. I just told the queen I couldn't take up on her offer, made up the excuse of having to travel too much. Although somehow she still found out I was already in love with someone else. What can I say? It did save me a lot of trouble in the end. And to evade difficulties Al and I left the next morning."

"Well, who would have said it? A man running away from a perfectly arranged marriage, and to a princess to top it all."

"Yeah, sadly you had already accepted this man before so you're stuck up with him. Unless you're the one who's backing up?"

"What's this I'm sensing in you? My dear Ed, the famous Full-Metal Alchemist, so respected Colonel Elric…is doubting?"

"Don't joke with me Weaver…" Ed went on with her line of thought calling her by her alias, and still she could notice the seriousness in his voice.

"Ed?" She asked. "Anything wrong?"

"Nothing…" Ed replied, but he didn't sound so sure really. "Would you like to go out, breathe some fresh air?"

"Alright." Helen nodded and followed him out the dance floor.

His attitude and the sudden way in which he had stopped their dancing was enough for her to know something was definitely amiss, though what it was, she had no idea.

.--.

Itziar was slowly walking around the room, she had gotten bored of just sitting at the table doing nothing at all. Shortly after Ed had taken Helen to dance the two married couples had joined them in the dance floor, and Itziar still seemed to be slightly afraid of staying by herself with Al. Because every time she did she remembered that day at Rizenbul, when he had asked her who she was, how depressed she had felt. And as much as she may like Al, she was too afraid of repeating the experience.

What surprised her the most was when she suddenly noticed a certain young man standing right behind her.

"Alphonse…" Itziar whispered.

"Can we talk, in private, please?" Al asked her, almost in a pleading tone.

Itziar was too surprised by everything to even answer, but she didn't stop Al from guiding her to one of the balconies with view to the night-street.

Silence reigned for what seemed like very long minutes, until Itziar finally heard Al's voice, but the words he pronounced she couldn't have been expecting them:

"Forgive me…please…" He whispered.

"What for?" Itziar gave her back to the balcony and turned to look at him, confused at his words. "What have you done that makes you believe I need to forgive you?"

"I broke the promise I had done to you." Al answered confidently.

"You…" Itziar covered her mouth with a hand drowning a gasp.

'He just said…' she thought in shock. 'Does that mean…?'

"I remember." Al whispered right then. "I remember when I met you in that horrible lab; how you disappeared, taking Helen with you; when you both returned and joined my brother and I in our quest…and especially that day in Dante's hideout, when you accepted to help me revive my brother, even though we both knew the risks doing that implied. I remember that that day I promised you I would always be there for you, always."

A lonely tear fell down Itziar's eye as she heard his words. He remembered, finally, and that made her so happy.

"I made that promise, yet I didn't keep it." Al continued. "When we met again, you were in doubt, you needed me, and yet I didn't remember you. I now know I hurt you that day. Will you ever be able to forgive me Itziar?"

"It wasn't your fault you forgot Al…" Itziar managed to whisper, her tears making it harder for her to speak. "It just couldn't be helped. It's true I felt hurt and depressed when I found out you didn't remember me. But you're not to be blamed for that."

Tenderly, Al brushed away the tears on her cheeks.

"I promise that will never happen again." Al assured her. "No matter what happens, I will never again forget you, nor what I promised you that day."

"I know you won't Al, I know." Itziar assured him, putting a hand over the one he still had on her cheek. "And whatever may have happened before, it's in the past. Right now I'm just so happy to have you here with me…"

"I'm happy too." Al agreed with her. "I've never admitted this to anyone, though I believe my brother always knew it. I didn't get to miss Amestris that much, because he was with me, but I did miss someone else…"

"Helen?" Itziar deduced.

"No, you." Al answered. "Shortly after getting to the other side of the gate I began regaining my memories, they came fragmented, and not exactly in order. But I had no problem to sort those related to you, and with what had happened while we both were Philosopher's Stones. Right then I knew how stupid I had been for having forgotten you; and that I wanted to get to this world just as much as my brother, the one difference being that he wanted to see Helen again, while I wanted to see you."

"Oh Al…"

Itziar didn't get to say anything else, there was no need. She could feel how Al pulled her to him softly, joining their lips in a gentle caress. It was a kiss, their first kiss.

.--.

Helen and Ed walked through the beautiful gardens the hotel had in absolute silence. And even when she was used to being with him in silence, it was usually a companionable one, one that signaled that they were thinking deeply about something, or just trying to relax for a while; but in that moment it was different, the silence was one of doubt, and of fear…

"Just say it." Helen suddenly spoke, stopping her walking rather abruptly.

"Helen…" Ed was confused at her tone of voice.

"Just say it already Ed…" Helen said trying to keep a neutral tone, but still sounding nervous. "Whatever it is you want to say. This wait, it's just too much to ask of me, you know better than anyone else I'm not a patient person."

"I know." Ed nodded. "And I'm the same way. It's just like I don't know how to say this…"

"Do you want to break up with me? Is that it?" Helen finally externalized her fears.

"What…? No! Of course not. Is that what you think I called you out here for?"

"Well…" Helen just nodded slightly.

"No, never. There's no way in hell I would ever do something like that. Not even if my life depended on it, you got it?"

"Yes. Sorry for doubting you. It's just that…I don't know. All this, the way you're acting, all this silence and seriousness, it's so unlike you that I thought…"

"I know. But I wasn't serious and doubting because I didn't want to be with you any longer, but because I'm…well, afraid of how you may react to what I'll tell you."

"Why would you be afraid?"

Instead of answering to her directly Ed brought out a small black box from his pocket and got on one knee right in front of her.

There was really no need for him to say anything, that simple gesture was more than enough for Helen to gasp at the same time she covered her mouth with her hands in surprise.

"I know that this may be precipitate." Ed began in a low tone. "After all you're still considered as a girl in this world. But I really, truly, love you. And I can wait for you for as long as it is needed if you accept. I just want to know that one day you'll be mine, that I'll be able to tell everyone I've got the most wonderful woman ever for my life-partner." He made a pause, took a deep breath and recited the decisive words: "Helen, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" She whispered crying tears of happiness. "Oh Ed yes! And a million times yes!" She dropped to her knees and embraced him tightly. "I'm yours ever since I first said I loved you, and I'll continue being yours forever. And of course I'll be delighted to marry you."

Delicately Ed took the engagement ring from the box and put it in Helen's finger.

In was then that Helen understood where Ed had been earlier that day, and why he hadn't told her about it at all.

'Engaged…' Helen thought. 'I'm supposed to be only fifteen, a bit too young to be making such commitments but…who cares?'

"Look…" Ed signaled her to a balcony right above them.

There they could see Al and Itziar kissing softly.

The example of those two seemed to be more than enough, Ed took Helen's face in his hands and pulled her to him, kissing her in a tender yet passionate way.

.--.

It all seemed to be perfect that night, but we all know perfection never lasts for long.

Ed and Helen weren't the only ones to notice the couple kissing in the balcony, another certain man noticed as well…and he didn't like it, not at all.

* * *

So...did you like the romance? I hope you did, because this is just the beggining, Itziar too will be getting her fair share of it soon. And you'll find out just what kind of complications I was talking about before.

Stay tuned, this isn't over just yet.


	16. Almost Perfect

**Chapter 15. ****Almost Perfect **

Helen woke up the next morning still slightly tired, something normal considering she hadn't had that much sleep the previous night; but on the other hand she was too overjoyed in that moment to get any more sleep. And considering how little she would sleep sometimes during her times in Amestris, when being pursued or too busy with a mission…a few hours less one day were nothing, really.

Helen's first intention was to take a look at her engagement ring, which she hadn't taken off, not even to sleep. But right then she noticed she couldn't feel her hands, almost as if they were 'disconnected' or something like that.

Again, the sensation passed rather quickly, not even giving her enough time to panic, and so Helen ignored it, believing it to be due to the fact that she had just awoken, and maybe she had been sleeping in a wrong position.

.--.

When Alessandra, Helen's elder sister entered the kitchen she could hear the honey-eyed girl humming happily to herself as she drank some coffee.

Even though Alessandra and her husband had moved to their own house when getting married, about half a year ago, they still stayed overnight when they visited, especially when they were staying until late, as their own house was in the next city, almost two hours away and they didn't like driving in the dark.

"You're humming." Alessandra commented. "That's something new. What happened that has you so happy this morning?"

"Many things have happened sister." Helen whispered, while absentmindedly touching her ring. "Many wonderful things…"

It was until then that it dawned to her: It had barely been two weeks since she had gotten her parents' permission to date Ed; how was she supposed to explain to them they had just gotten engaged? Although, if she though about it, they didn't need to know right away…

"I thought you would have prepared breakfast already." Alessandra commented while getting a cup of coffee for herself.

"No, not yet." Helen replied. "I know for a fact Al won't get up until at least one more hour, considering how late we got back, and about Ed…well, it depends in if Al awakes him or not. If he doesn't then it's likely Ed won't be up until noon. And as I'm not much hungry myself, I didn't see any need to prepare breakfast. A cup of coffee serves just fine."

"Aren't you several years too young to be drinking coffee for breakfast?"

"What difference does age make?" Helen asked. "If I didn't start now I probably would in a couple of years, so, there's really not that much of a difference. Besides, caffeine serves me good to get my head clear."

Helen wasn't about to explain to her elder sister that she had gotten used to having coffee for breakfast while working for the militia, as it was the easiest thing one could get to drink early morning before their commanding officer called them for one thing or the other and besides it was one of the few things that helped her wake up fully when she had had too little sleep. But Alessandra would probably freak out if she ever knew about that. When Helen had returned to her world she had tried to get other things for breakfast like juice or cereal, but soon found out that if she didn't drink coffee something in her didn't seem to feel right. Itziar said that Helen depended on her coffee just like she did on her herbal tea.

"Also, you seem to know Edward pretty well, even when the rest of us had never met him." Alessandra commented casually.

"Yeah, well. I met him some time ago, back when I was little." Helen concentrated on saying as much as she possibly could without risking revealing 'too much' or making it too obvious that she was hiding something. "But as he didn't live in town back then he never stayed long enough for you or our parents to meet him."

"His family used to travel much?" Alessandra asked.

"You could say so." Helen nodded.

If one counted him and Alphonse as the only members of the family then one couldn't say she was lying.

"But I still think it's extraordinary how you seem to know so much about his likes, dislikes, even his personal habits." Alessandra insisted "Wouldn't those be a bit hard to get to know when he never stayed in town for long?"

"Maybe, but he's already been here for two weeks; and if we consider he's been living above us this time…" Helen had the feeling her sister was pressing her for some reason but feigned ignorance. "I think it's normal I would catch on his daily habits."

Alessandra still didn't seem very convinced by her little sister's explanations, but decided not to push it any further, at least not in that moment.

Helen then decided she better get away before her sister continued her very-badly-disguised interrogatory. She had already finished her coffee so she took the mug in her hands and made a move to take it to the sink until suddenly something unexpected happened.

A short gasp followed by a loud crash signaled the moment the mug hit the floor, breaking into dozens of pieces.

"Helen!" Alessandra cried out worriedly, immediately getting on her feet and dashing to her sister's side. "Are you alright?"

Helen didn't answer, her eyes fixed right on her hands.

"Helen, you're trembling." Alessandra noticed. "Come on, sit down."

Helen let her older sister guide her back to the chair, never taking her eyes off her hands; she was still trembling slightly, but what worried her wasn't that, but the throbbing she had begun feeling in both hands and that had made her drop the mug.

'What does this mean?' she wondered to herself, while trying hard not to panic. 'This feeling, this phantom pain…just like when I first lost my hands…'

.--.

Eventually Helen managed to convince Alessandra that she was alright, she had just gotten cramps in her hands, which was why the mug had fallen from her hands, but there was nothing to worry about. If just Helen could believe that herself…

However, and as worried as the event had left her, Helen didn't let it show. She tried her best to make it look like everything was alright as she could hear Al and Ed knocking on the door that faced the backyard. Those two always entered that way because there was a second stair to the second floor, and it was the easiest way to get from one 'house' to the other without needing to go out.

"Morning Helen." Al greeted.

"Good morning Al." Helen replied with a smile.

She had gotten to work already to prepare some breakfast.

"What would you like for breakfast?" Helen asked.

"Something light, if you don't mind." Al answered. "I've planned on inviting Itziar out for some lunch."

"Alright, maybe some coffee and a piece of bread would be enough for you then." Helen said putting some water to boil. "What about you Ed?"

"Hn…" That was the closest to an answer they got from the still half-asleep young man.

Al just laughed lightly at his brother's 'answer'. He definitely wasn't one to wake up early, not even when he had work to do; which is why he was always late. In fact, maybe the only reason why he woke up early during their quest was because they were usually being attacked, or had to run away from someone (most of the time the homunculi, or even the militaries).

"A cup of coffee shall be enough to wake you up, then we'll decide." Helen declared.

So she got the coffee done fairly quickly.

Al accompanied it by a slice of bread, then asked Helen to write him the directions to get to Itziar's house. Helen not only wrote the directions but also explained to Al where to take the public bus so he could get to the blue-green eyed girl's house without too much trouble.

Not too long after Al had left for Itziar's house Ed finally finished his coffee, and just as Helen had predicted he'd finally awoken, at least enough to think in some 'real breakfast'.

'Alessandra is surprised that I know Ed's habits…' Helen thought to herself as she worked on the stove. 'Yet she has no idea just how much I really know him, and how much time I've had to get to know him this much…'

.--.

Shortly before noon Alphonse arrived to a two-story cream and white house. In his right hand he had the piece of paper in which Helen had written the directions to Itziar's house. Helen and Ed had planned a date, so he thought it would be better if he passed some time with Itziar now that they arranged their misunderstandings than bother the other two.

As Al knocked the door and waited for someone to answer him a beautiful noise reached his ears, someone was playing an instrument.

"Good morning." A woman opened the door right then. "What can I do for you?"

"Good morning, does Itziar Carrey live here?" Al asked with a short bow.

"Yes, I'm her mother." The woman replied. "Are you by any chance one of the friends of hers and Helen's that came from out of town?"

"Yes Mrs. Carrey." Al nodded politely. "I'm Alphonse Elric. I came to visit Itziar, see if you would allow me to invite her out for lunch."

"Itziar's in the living room." The woman said opening the door wider. "And if you want my permission to invite her out you have it, I much prefer to see her with educate young men such as yourself than with that rude boy that seems to be pretending her lately."

"You mean J.K.?" Al asked.

"Do you know him?" The mother asked.

"Not personally, but Helen has told my brother and I about him." Al explained. "For what she said he isn't the nicest of people. But don't worry Mrs. Carrey, I told it to Helen some days ago and I repeat it to you now: I really appreciate Itziar, and I won't let anyone hurt her."

Mrs. Carrey smiled sweetly at Al, it was obvious she had completely liked the young man, and as a good mother she had the feeling he might be just the 'right one' for her daughter. She just hoped her daughter noticed that too.

"Well, why are we still standing here?" The mother said stepping aside to let Al pass. "Come in, please. Itziar is at the living room."

"Thank you." Al did a short bow again and entered.

He just had to walk a couple of feet by the main hallway and then turn to the right, where he immediately entered the living room. He at first couldn't see Itziar, as she wasn't sitting in any of the coaches, but it was when he heard the enchanting music again that he noticed Itziar was the one playing it. She was sitting behind a piano in the corner of the room, her fingers moved fluently over the keys, it looked almost as if she were knitting the melody in the air.

When seeing how the blonde young man had just stood there, watching the girl play the piano in complete silence, the mother decided not to say a word and went back to the kitchen, where she was preparing lunch for her and her son (as it was likely Itziar wouldn't be accompanying them), silently so as not to disturb the teens.

Itziar continued playing the soft tune, ignorant to Al's arrival, too concentrated she was with the music…

Al was quite bewitched by the beautiful sounds Itziar got from the piano, so much he almost didn't notice what seemed to be happening around them, almost.

"Itziar…" He whispered.

One word was enough to break the spell.

The music stopped rather abruptly in a wrong note as Itziar's concentration was broken by Al's unexpected call of her name.

And right at the same time several objects fell to the floor or the nearby coaches, objects that until that moment had been floating in mid-air.

"Itziar…" Al whispered once again, quite surprised by what had just happened.

"Al, did I just do what I think I did?" Itziar asked in a low tone as she observed each and every object around them.

It seemed that with the unexpected turn of events the fact that Al had just arrived to visit her was pushed aside for the moment being.

"I do think so Itziar." Al nodded.

"But how can that be possible?" Itziar asked distressed. "I mean, I'm supposed to only have those powers while in Amestris, just like you, Ed and Helen only have your alchemy when you're there too. How then could I use my telekinesis here?"

"I have no idea, I really don't." Al replied as confused as she was.

"Something's wrong, something's terribly wrong Al…" Itziar murmured worriedly, her hands over her face.

"Don't worry, Itziar." Al knelt next to her, his hands on her arms. "I promised you I would be here for you and to that promise I'll hold. Whatever it is that's happening we'll discover it and we'll sort it out, together."

Itziar didn't answer, she just held onto Al tightly, almost as if her life depended on it.

.--.

A while later Itziar finally managed to calm down.

Her mother reentered the living room right then, asking the teens if they were planning on being out all day, or only for lunch.

It took Itziar a second to understand the reason why Al was there, she smiled and proposed to give him a tour of the city. It was obvious Helen would have taken him and Ed to some places in the previous two weeks, yet there were still many more places to see and visit.

Happy to see Itziar had already recovered from her momentary depression, though still slightly worried about what may be happening that made her able to use her telekinesis once again, Al decided to take advantage of the time to be with Itziar. He had already apologized for having forgotten her before, now he only had to let her intentions with her clear, maybe then he would be able to convince her he really loved her, and get her to be his girlfriend. Somehow he was sure her mother wouldn't be against that idea.

Itziar didn't know exactly why but she was slightly nervous to be going to Al for lunch and a tour around the city.

"It's almost like a date…" she thought aloud, but immediately berated herself for that idea. "No, bad Itziar. How can I believe he'll ever see me like that?" she sighed. "But then…"

A memory crossed her mind:

Flashback 

"I wanted to get to this world just as much as my brother, the one difference being that he wanted to see Helen again, while I wanted to see you."

"Oh Al…"

Itziar didn't get to say anything else, there was no need. She could feel how Al pulled her to him softly, joining their lips in a gentle caress. It was a kiss, their first kiss.

End of Flashback 

She brought her hand to her lips as her cheeks flushed a light pink at the memory of that kiss, and the ones that followed.

"Those words…those kisses…" she thought to herself. "They were real, weren't they?" she sighed thoughtfully. "Might that mean he feels for me something that goes beyond friendship? Oh, I sure hope so."

.--.

In the end Itziar decided to wear a jean skirt that reached to just above her knees, along with a white off-the-shoulder, short-sleeved blouse and white slippers. She didn't use any makeup, and pushed her hair in place with a white bandana.

Al was in awe when he saw her walk down the stairs of her house, her clothes were certainly simple, yet in his opinion they made her look just wonderful.

"Al?" Itziar asked in a low tone, when seeing him just there, staring at her.

"Eh…I'm sorry Itziar." Al quickly apologized, slightly embarrassed. "I was just thinking how pretty you look."

"You think so?" Itziar blushed shyly.

"Yes." Al immediately nodded.

"Thanks." Itziar smiled at him. "Shall we get going?"

"Yes." Al nodded. "We shall."

"Bye bye mama." Itziar called over her shoulder as she reached the house's door. "I'm leaving now. See you all later."

"Take care Itziar, Alphonse." The mother told them from the kitchen. "And have fun."

With that both teens exited the house, Itziar making sure she was carrying her celphone, wallet and house-keys.

They walked a couple of blocks and then boarded a bus that took them downtown, to a certain restaurant Helen had recommended him. It was a restaurant of traditional Mexican food, just the kind of food Itziar liked. Al remembered eating that kind of food in the past, and even if at first it had been something strange, things he wasn't used to eating, in the end he had really liked some of the things that were prepared.

Itziar was truly impressed when she saw just what the place Al was taking her to was; for a few seconds she wondered just how he had known she really liked that kind of food, and then she understood it: Helen…

They had a wonderful time there together. Itziar ordered some entomatadas, while Al opted for a plate of pozole, both with some lemonade.

It was just like a perfect first date: one sitting in front of the other, in one of the outside-tables; they ate their food, every now and then inviting some to the other, all the while listening to some song or another, most of them so modern Al didn't know about them, but when he really paid attention to the words he liked them.

The people that passed by would see them and believe them to be a pretty couple of lovers, which was exactly what Al was wishing they could be.

They finished their lunch and Al insisted on being the one to pay (like the gentleman he was). Then they left the restaurant and decided to take a stroll by the nearby park, the very same park where was located the Kiosk they had used as portal to get to Amestris.

They were walking in silence, content by just being with one another, and watching the trees and flowers around them. In a certain moment they passed a girl selling small bouquets that had a little red rose surrounded by gardenias. Al noticed the way Itziar's eyes seemed to shine the moment she saw the bouquet and he immediately bought it for her.

As they reached an empty bench and sat down Al was thinking of a way of asking her to be his girlfriend, but couldn't find the words to say it. And it that brief moment of distraction, things seemed to take a turn for trouble.

"Hey! Let go!" It was Itziar's protest that made Al raise his head again.

He noticed how the small bouquet fell from Itziar's hands and onto the bench as a man took hold of her arm and yanked her in a rather violent way.

"Let me go." Itziar insisted, tugging her arm, trying to get free from the man's grasp. "You're hurting me…J.K. stop!"

"Didn't you hear her?" Al spoke slow and seriously. "She told you to let go."

J.K. was a tall man, about Al's or Ed's age, taller, with dyed red hair and dark eyes, he had a strong built and the worst attitude one can imagine.

When J.K. didn't react Al pressed his wrist slightly, just enough to make him loose his hold on Itziar's arm, and when she got away from him Al stepped in the middle.

"Are you alright Itziar?" Al asked, worriedly, though he never turned his back on J.K.

"Yes, don't worry." Itziar assured him.

"Now why don't you leave and we can forget this happened?" Al suggested to J.K.

"Why should I do what you say?" J.K. seemed to be challenging him. "Who do you think you are to get in between Itziar and me?"

"I have every right." Al didn't know why he said the next, he just did. "I won't let you bother Itziar anymore because she is my girlfriend."

"What?!" That really shocked J.K.

"Now I suggest you leave this place at once, before we call the authorities and I accuse you of harassment on my girl." Al added.

That was enough, J.K. decided to leave.

When Al turned to face Itziar he saw she was trembling slightly, facing the floor.

"Itziar?" Al asked worriedly. "Are you alright? Are you mad because I told that guy you were my girlfriend?"

"Did you mean it?" Itziar finally voiced her question.

"Wha…" It took a second for Al to understand what she meant, then he sighed. "Yes. I meant it. I really, truly, love you Itziar."

"So do I…" She whispered embracing him tightly. "I love you Al, I love you so much…"

Al just smiled, tilted her head up slightly and caught her lips with his in a tender kiss.

.--.

That very same night Helen had just stepped out of the shower when again she felt the same throbbing in his hands, it was really bothering by then. But things got worse when she noticed her skin seemed to be 'peeling off'. Almost as if she had had a very bad sunburn. But when she finished 'peeling off' some of that skin she had to drown a cry.

Underneath her 'burnt' skin, it was dark and cold. That wasn't flesh but…metal.

* * *

And the angst just keeps building. It will reach it's highest peak next chapter, and in just a few more it'll be all over. That's so sad... (sniffs) and yet I can't wait to upload the end. I hope you'll all like it as much as I do!

Well, see ya next chapter! (Please don't forget to leave a review, or two, or three...or a hundred! jejeje)


	17. The Dream Shatters

**Chapter 16. ****The Dream Shatters **

Helen was standing in the bathroom, with the door locked, observing the palms of her hands. It hadn't been just a dream, underneath the skin she had peeled off the other night there was cold and hard metal. A week had passed since she had first noticed that, and by then almost her full palms were metal already.

'But why is this happening? Why?' Helen wondered in distress. 'In this world I'm supposed to be able to keep my real hands. Why then are my hands now turning into my automail ones? Could it be because Ed and Al are here?'

She had no idea, but she sure knew she had to find out, and soon.

With that Helen brought out a pair of black gloves and put them on. If anybody asked her why she used them it would be easy to say it was fashionable or something like that.

However, there was one thing Helen wasn't expecting, and that was her older sister (who was again visiting), sitting on Helen's bed, and holding the silver pocket-watch.

"Ehm, Ale, can you give that back to me?" Helen asked, she had a bad feeling about her sister having that object.

"Sure, just one sec sis." Ale replied. "I just would like you to explain something to me. What is written inside this pocket-watch…" As she talked Ale opened the pocket-watch, inside read: _'Never Forget. Autumn '10'_ "I don't think you pretended to write 2010, because we're still in the 2006, so then, what does that number mean?"

Helen thought for a moment that she should be angry with her elder sister for having opened the watch, but she couldn't; she too would have been curious, just like Winry had been…

'Someone was due to discover it sooner or later…' Helen thought in resignation. 'Especially now that things are turning so serious…'

"It means 1910." Helen finally declared. "Autumn of the 1910."

"1910?" Ale was confused. "How can that be possible?"

"It's a long story Alessandra." Helen declared, she only called her big sister by her full name when she was speaking about something serious. "I suggest you sit down and keep your mind open. You might not believe what I'll tell you, but I assure you it's the whole truth."

Just by hearing her sister's tone of voice Ale know it really was something serious, and with what her sister said she got the feeling things were about to become really, really strange.

"I wrote that year, because I was in that year." Helen began explaining. "But not in this world but in one very different from our own."

"Another world?" Ale was shocked.

"Please don't interrupt me." Helen asked her. "First let me explain it all to you."

Ale nodded and Helen went on.

"I suppose you remember the night of the festival, when I got away from you and our parents to visit the Kiosk in the other park." Helen began her explanation. "You know I got there on my own, and when you found me I was with another girl, two years older than me. That was Itziar, though back then I barely knew her. However, for you I was away barely some minutes when you found me once again, Yet for me three years had passed by then… It happened so fast I didn't understand at first." Helen explained. "I remember a voice saying 'Amestris', an eerie glow and falling down an endless pit. I awoke in a bed in Trisha Elric's house. Her sons had found me unconscious next to the river and carried me to their house."

"Elric…" Ale couldn't help but say it aloud as she seemed to notice something.

"Yes." Helen nodded. "Trisha's sons were Ed and Al. They were the ones who found me, and for a long time they and their mother were the only ones to know I wasn't from that world. I found a new home in the Elric's house, and a second mother in Mrs. Elric. However, I never really saw Ed and Al as brothers, well, maybe Al, but not Ed, he was always something more. They were the ones to teach me alchemy, while I taught them Spanish. Alchemy is a science, according to which you can put your energy into an object, along with an array in which you draw certain symbols and equations, then you'll be able to transform that object in a different one, but with the same basic components."

"Alchemy, is that something like…magic?" Ale asked.

"You could say that." Helen agreed. "Though magic as such doesn't exist in Amestris; and in alchemy you always have to give something to get another thing in return, it's the 'Equivalent Exchange'." She sighed. "Anyway, a year after my arrival Trisha fell ill, and eventually died. It took all three of us a long time to recover, I had really come to love her as a second mother. But we weren't alone, no, we had a great friend: Winry, and her grandmother: Pinako. They took care of all three of us as Al and I were barely nine, while Ed was ten years old. Shortly afterwards we met Mrs. Izumi." Helen continued. "She was a very talented alchemist that happened to pass by. When Ed, Al and I saw what she could do we asked her to be our sensei, to teach us everything she knew about alchemy, and eventually she agreed. We trained with her for several months until she said she had taught us everything and then we returned to Rizenbul, the town where we lived."

Rizenbul, how different was that place, in a sense their hometown, how different it had been from every other city they had gotten to see while traveling throughout Amestris.

"When we returned we made an awful mistake." Helen continued her story. "We attempted something that was forbidden, and for a very good reason." She had decided not to say what exactly it was they had tried. "We could have died, but miraculously we didn't, and still we were punished; Ed and I each lost two limbs, he his right arm and left leg, me my two hands, while Al lost his full body…"

Ale was about to cry out that couldn't be possible but Helen didn't give her time.

"Auntie Pinako and Winry, who are wonderful mechanics, got automail-limbs done for Ed and me." Helen continued. "And Al's soul was tied to an armor suit." She sighed. "It was while we were recovering from the surgeries of our automail that we met Colonel Mustang…"

"Colonel?!" Ale could hold back her shock anymore. "As in the military?"

"Yeah." Helen nodded as if it was nothing. "He was my commanding officer. Well, in a sense he still is…after all I still have my pocket-watch. And there's also the fact that I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel the last time I was there…"

Helen stopped her rambling when she noticed just how pale her sister had turned, she really was shocked to find out her little sister had been related to the militia.

"Right." Helen nodded. "In Amestris sometimes those who are the best alchemists become a part of the militia, they become what is called a State Alchemist. That man, Roy Mustang, we met him in Rizenbul, and it was because of him that Ed, Al and I got interested in becoming State Alchemists, just like he was. As soon as we learned how to control our automail we got on a train to Central City and presented the exam to become State Alchemists. In the end Al couldn't do it, but Ed and I did, and we both passed. We became State Alchemists."

"What means being a State Alchemist?" Ale asked.

"Well, it means we have certain privileges." Helen explained. "Like resources for travels and investigations, access to a lot of classified information, and we get paid very well. We are sent on missions from time to time, also if there were to be a war, we would be sent to it; after all, we're part of the army." She sighed. "When we become State Alchemists we are given a silver pocket watch, that's the one you're holding; and an alias, by which we're called while on duty. Ed is the Full Metal Alchemist, this because of his automail limbs; I'm the Weaver Alchemist, because my basic attacks are some threads I expel from the tips of my fingers and to turn my metal nails into some sort of needles."

"But you don't have your auto-whatever when you're here." Ale said.

"Itziar found an explanation to that." Helen said. "It seems that when we get to Amestris we exchange one thing for another. In my case you can say I lose my hands, and in exchange I get my alchemy. It's all part of the Equivalent Exchange." She made a pause and went back to the story. "Anyway. Shortly after we became State Alchemists it was that we met Itziar. I'd been in Amestris for three years already, she had been for one, and hadn't had the best of times at all. Somehow, when we were together she cried out she wanted to go home, and we did get home, back to this world."

Helen had decided not to say a thing about what Itziar had been through.

"So you're telling me that when mom, dad and I found you, you had already been through all that?" Ale asked, not quite believing it.

"Yes." Helen nodded. "But that wasn't all. About two years later Itziar and I met again, as we hadn't seen each other in all that time. We were summoned back to Amestris, our help was needed. We were there about a year, if my calculus is correct. Many things happened in that time, I would never finish telling you." 'And at least half of them would scandalize you…' "We fulfilled our mission there and helped save a lot of people. But in the end we again had to leave those we cared for the most behind. That time we were very sad, 'cause we left Amestris so suddenly that we didn't get the chance to get to see if Ed and Al were alright."

She still remembered all those days of worry, of nights awake praying to any god, angel or saint that Ed and Al would be alright, and that they would meet again.

"Two more years passed after we returned from that trip to Amestris." Helen explained. "And once again we were summoned, quite unexpectedly I may add. That time some crazy woman wanted to take over the world… We were there only a few days, just enough to see Ed and Al again, team up and fight the woman and her forces. That's when I was given back my pocket-watch, as I had left it behind the previous time; I was told I had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, while Ed was Colonel. Also Itziar and Al were named State Alchemists, the Star and Soul Alchemist, respectively, even when they never presented the exam." She sighed. "It was after that whole mess that I finally had the courage to confess my feelings to Ed, right before we had to get away from each other again. And it came out that he loved me too. He promised me he would find a way to get to me, and he did."

"You mean to tell me Ed and Al are from this place, Amestris?" Ale deduced.

"Yes." Helen nodded. "After three years of waiting, they're finally here. I know this may be difficult to understand, but it's the truth. I am four years older than you believe me to be, in fact I'm the same age as Al, Itziar the same."

"Well, I want to believe you, I really do." Ale nodded. "But I don't know, it's all too strange. And I don't see any proof."

"You want more proof besides that watch?" Helen asked. "It's a pity I can't do alchemy in this world…but I know what."

Helen knew her elder sister might get hysteric, but as it was the only proof she could give her Helen pulled off her glove and extended her hand so her sister would see it.

"See this?" Helen asked. "I don't know why it's happening but for some reason the flesh and blood hands I have in this world are turning into the automail ones I have in Amestris. That's why I dropped the mug, and why I've been getting phantom pains and cramps."

"Oh Helen…" Ale was in shock. "What could this mean?"

"I have no idea." Helen answered. "But I've already called for a meeting in the office of the cyber this afternoon. Ed, Al, Itziar and I have to discuss this, we need to find out the reason and a solution, because I have the feeling this is just a signal of something bigger that's going on and we just hadn't noticed."

Ale didn't answer. She'd just noticed Helen wasn't the little sister she was used to having; she was older and wiser than many believed, mature enough to make her own decisions, like she'd been doing for a while already, and would be doing it once again that afternoon.

Except neither of the sisters yet knew the consequences the decisions taken that afternoon would have.

.---.

Itziar was at the bus stop, waiting for Al to arrive. She would be taking him to the beach that day, as it was one of the few places he hadn't yet seen. She was really happy in that moment, dressed in a sleeveless lavender shirt and a long pink country-skirt, white slippers and a simple hat to cover her from the sun finished her attire.

'I can't believe I'm really Al's girlfriend…' Itziar thought as she waited for her beloved. 'It seems like life is finally being 'equivalent' with us.'

Right then she could hear a noise behind her, she believed it might be Al wanting to sneak up on her so she immediately spun around.

"Al…" She called as she turned. "Is that…"

She never got to even finish her phrase as a damp cloth was put over her mouth and nose and she lost consciousness almost immediately, the last thing she saw being a certain man whose mere presence was enough to make her panic: J.K.

Itziar's last thoughts right before she lost consciousness was just a name and a call for help that never really left her throat: 'Al…ayuda (help)…'

.---.

Al was in a bus, on his way to meet with Itziar when suddenly he could feel his head spinning. He could help but moan slightly and hold his head.

"Son, are you alright?" an elder woman asked nest to him.

"Just fine ma'am, thank you." Al replied politely. "Just a little headache."

But right as he said that he believed he could hear a voice in the air, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. He immediately recognized it as his beloved's voice:

_*Al…ayuda__ (help)…* _

Al didn't know why but he immediately panicked, something was wrong, he knew it.

The almost five minutes that the bus took before finally arriving to the last stop seemed almost eternal to the dark-blonde, who by then was already standing on the door and about to sprint off in any direction possible.

But he never really got farther than the bus stop, because just as he stepped off the vehicle he noticed something on the ground: a silver pocket-watch.

"Even if we're not on Amestris none of us let go of these watches…" Al reasoned looking at it. "They're just too valuable for us…"

He already knew who that watch belonged to, and opening to see the inside just confirmed it to him. Inside was pasted a small drawing of a star with a halo on top, in the irregular traces one could notice the drawing had been done by a child, by Elysia Hughes to be precise. She had given it to Itziar when seeing her, right before the trouble began in Central City two years before; according to the little girl it was so everyone would know Itziar was her Star-Angel. The young woman had kept it as a reminder of the good things she had been able to do while in Amestris, despite how her story in that world had begun.

Al didn't wait a single minute. He knew that if he went to check on Itziar's house he would only manage to worry her family; if he phoned Helen and Ed they would take too long to get there, and time was of vital importance if someone had kidnapped his girlfriend.

'And I believe I may know who that someone is…' Al thought angrily.

"You're having trouble son?" The same elderly woman asked him.

Al was surprised he hadn't noticed her presence at first, as she was right behind him.

"I'm afraid yes ma'am." Al replied. "I was supposed to meet my girlfriend here, yet she isn't. And this watch belongs to her…I fear someone might have taken her."

Al didn't know why he was telling all that to the old woman, but even if she couldn't really help him, it at least help him to say the things aloud.

"That's really bad, you believe she's in immediate danger?" The woman asked.

"I have no idea." Al replied, slightly annoyed at how little he knew. "I really don't know what this man may be capable of."

"So you know who might have taken your girl away?" The elder woman deduced.

"Yes, I believe I do." Al nodded. "But that doesn't help me much as I still don't know how to find him anyway."

"But it's not that hard my dear." The woman said as if it were the easiest thing in the world. "Just let your love for her guide you. Let your heart be the one to decide the route your feet take, instead of your head."

And as Al thought hard about what the woman had just said, something told him that it wasn't really as crazy as it sounded at first.

"Thank you ma…" He never got to finish, the woman was already gone. "Well, that's odd, yet I don't really have time to think about it now. Let's see it this works." He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on his beloved. "Itziar…Itziar…mi amor (my love)…"

.---.

_*Itziar…mi amor__ (my love)…Where are you?* _

That was the first thing Itziar heard when awakening and she thought she was hallucinating.

_*Itziar…Please answer me…* _

"Al?" Itziar called out, her voice sounded hoarse, consequence of whatever it was that damp cloth had had, most probably chloroform.

"No, I'm not that damn blonde boy, but I assure you I'm a lot better than him." A cold voice told her from behind.

"Jason Kein…" Itziar named him venomously.

"Why do you call me that dear?" He asked slyly. "You know I much prefer J.K."

"Your name is Jason Kein, and don't call me 'my dear'." Itziar hissed at him, looking at him in the eye to prove him she wasn't afraid. "I'm nothing yours."

"Not yet, but you see, you'll soon be…" J.K. said with an evil glint in his eye.

He tried to steal a kiss, but Itziar turned away, and when he tried to force her she spit in his face. This made J.K. angry and he slapped her rather hard, making her fall on her side.

She wasn't tied or anything but still J.K. was obviously a lot bigger and stronger than she was, she had no way of defeating him in a physical confrontation.

Right as Itziar began straightening herself she heard the same voice again.

_*Itziar…If you're there please answer me. You don't have to talk, just feel…* _

'To feel eh?' she thought. 'Alright. I have nothing to lose.'

She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated hard on Al, and on the love they shared. In that moment the bond they had formed since being both turned into Philospher's Stone, and even when Al wasn't any longer, they still had that bond.

_*Al…is that you?* She called. _

_*Itziar!* _Al sounded truly happy to happy to have contacted her. _*This works. This really works. I can't believe it. Where are you? I promise I'll be there immediately.* _

_*I believe I'm in the abandoned warehouse, two blocks away from the supermarket.*_ Itziar told him. _*I once heard that was where J.K. took his girls.* _

_*So it was really him the one to abduct you…*_ Al sounded angry by then.

_*Yes, but don't mind that now.*_ Itziar pushed that aside. _*I was unconscious when he brought me here so I can't be fully sure, but I believe I'm right.* _

_*Alright. Don't despair, I promise I'll be there as soon as I can.* _

_*I know you will, I trust you Al. Don't take long…* _

Their mind-conversation was interrupted when J.K. pulled her violently by the arm.

"I hope you're ready 'my dear'." J.K. said evilly, remarking the words she so hated. "Because today you'll be completely mine."

Itziar had no problem at all to know what he meant by those words, but still she wasn't going to make things any easier for him, no matter what the consequences may be for her in the long run. She had faith Al would find her in time.

.---.

Minutes passed, minutes that seemed like an eternity for Itziar. She had managed to keep J.K. at bay thus far, but she knew she wouldn't be able to do it for much longer. A moment came when J.K. approached her and seemed ready to tear off her clothes, she tried to push him away and he raised his hand to slap her again.

_*Al!*_ she cried out when she believed it was all lost.

In the last moment another hand got in between, halting J.K.'s motions.

"Don't you dare lay a single finger on her…" Al's tone was unusually cold, though it could be considered normal in the current situation.

"Al…gracias al cielo (thank heaven)…" Itziar sighed in relief.

But what didn't really relieve her was when she saw the two young men engage in a violent fight. Al was really strong, that Itziar knew, but still J.K. was way bigger than him, something that complicated things a bit.

After some minutes it looked like J.K. had managed to take Al with a low guard and was about to punch him straight in the face, but before he could do it he cried out in deep pain. And when he searched for the reason he could see a cutter embed in his hand.

It was that in her panic Itziar had looked for a way to help Al, her hand had stumbled upon the cutting tool; she hadn't even think about it, she just took aim and threw it. Even after all those years she still had as good an aim as when Captain Riza had taught her; even if she no longer carried her daggers all the time (though they could have saved her a lot of trouble).

"What the…" J.K. was in pure shock. "What the hell are you?"

"That's none of your business." Itziar replied regaining her confidence as she got on her feet. "But I'll tell you what I'm not. I'm not another of those girls you go after and when they let you near you believe you own them and can do with them as you please. I'm my own person, no one owns me, and if I ever let anyone close enough to touch me, it'll be out of love, and not of mere physical interest."

"Let it go Itziar." Al said standing next to her. "He's not worth our time."

"You're right Al." Itziar agreed. "Lets go."

They left the warehouse, without J.K. saying another word. He had gotten so scared with what Itziar had done, it was obvious he wouldn't be bothering her ever again.

.---.

Itziar and Al did manage to go to the beach, eat some shrimp-cocktail and walked bare-footed right next to the sea.

They remained like that until around three o'clock, when they knew they had to get to Helen's house as they had planned on ordering some chicken-burgers and chatting for a while about the past, the 'good times'.

As planned, they ate the burgers, Al and Itziar told the other two what had happened in the morning and they were angry at that 'bastard', as Helen called him, and Ed was very proud of his little brother, of how he had defended Itziar.

Things seemed to be going just like planned, until Alessandra entered the office, right as they were cleaning the place of food wrappings and any other trash.

"Helen…" Itziar began, unsure as to what the presence of the elder sister may mean.

"She already knows." Helen explained. "She wanted to be here while we discussed something that's been worrying me for the last few days."

"What is it?" Al asked.

"This." As Helen said that she pulled off both gloves.

"Helen!" Ed cried out when seeing her hands. "Why hadn't you said anything of this to me?"

"Because I didn't want to worry you." Helen explained sheepishly. "Besides, I wasn't sure what it might mean."

"And you're sure now?" Ed asked.

"No, but I thought that maybe you could help me find an explanation." Helen replied. "By the way, Itziar and Al are being too quite. Not that it's unusual at all, but still…"

"We were just thinking about something that happened some days ago." Al began explaining. "The day after the prom to be precise."

"What was it?" Helen asked.

"I used my telekinesis." Itziar answered. "We yet don't know why or how. I was playing the piano and suddenly all the small objects around me were floating in midair."

"It just happened once so we pushed it aside." Al added. "But if Helen's hands are changing into automail, then I think things are a lot bigger than I first believed."

"Maybe a lot more so…" Helen murmured thoughtfully.

Before anyone could ask her what she meant she took a porcelain figure from the desk she was sitting on and dropped it to the ground, letting it smash into dozens of little pieces. Then she collected them all in a pile and with the help of a pencil drew an array around it.

"Helen, we can't do alchemy here." Ed reminded her. "Not without the energy of the Gate."

"We can't." Helen agreed, then she turned to Itziar. "But she can."

"Me?" Itziar was confused. "But how?"

"Yes, you." Helen nodded. "You never stopped being the Stone, remember? You don't need the energy from the Gate because you have it already. You must be able to do it."

Still thinking Helen was insane Itziar knelt in front of the array and touched it with both hands. There was the known lilac glow and in a second the figure was complete again.

"How?" Ale was in complete shock. "How was that possible?"

"It's difficult, right, but I might have a theory." Helen said thoughtfully. "I think Ed's and Al's presence here may be pulling our worlds closer together. That's why I'm getting my automail limbs, why Itziar could use her telekinesis, and now alchemy."

"But, if what you believe is true, what does it mean?" Ed asked unsure all of the sudden.

"It means you and Al can't stay here…" Itziar replied in a sad murmur.

* * *

So, explanations have been given, at least to one person. And the time has come for our heroes to make the choice of their lives (literally), what will that choice be? Find out in the next chapter! (I promise that this time it'll come sonner, I had a delay with this one due to lots of finals in college, but the chapter is already written, I just need you to review this one).


	18. Of Revelations and Preparations

**Chapter 17. ****Of Revelations and Preparations **

"You can't stay in this world, because you don't belong here." Itziar explained, the tone in her voice denoting how much it pained her to be saying that. "As long as you two stay here, things will continue happening, and they might get worse."

"What?!" Ed cried out distressed. "How can you tell me I can't stay here?! It's not fair!"

"I know, I know it's not." Itziar was on the verge of tears by then. "You must understand I'm not the one who makes the rules Edward, but we all have to follow them. It should have been obvious since the beginning. As much as it may hurt all of us to accept it, the truth is that you and Al weren't born in this world, you don't belong here, you belong on Amestris. You could say that your homeland is calling you, and as you're not going, it's pulling our whole world to it. That can only bring trouble." She sobbed but went on. "You must understand. Our world isn't used to the existence of alchemy the way yours is. If both worlds were to merge the only possible outcome can be a complete disaster. We can't let it happen. As much as it breaks my own heart to say it, you and Al must leave…"

Ed didn't complain anymore to her words, he knew she wasn't saying that because she liked it; how could she when they all knew how deeply in love she and Al were?

"Then I'll be going too." Helen's statement took them all off-guard.

"What?!" Ale was the first, if not the only one to react to her sister's words.

"If Ed must return to Amestris," Helen explained. "Then I'll be going with him."

.---.

As Itziar was on her window seat she thought back to what had happened earlier. Everything seemed to be perfect, maybe too perfect. And now Ed and Al were to leave, and this time the separation would be forever. It hadn't really surprised Itziar when she had heard Helen declare she would be leaving with the boys, after all, she loved Ed so much, just as much as he loved her; and they were already engaged.

Itziar was just sitting there, letting her thoughts wander from the conversation at Helen's place elsewhere, and then back to that talk. She was about to turn on the radio to try and see if she could get her mind off the whole Amestris-thing if only for a few minutes, when the phone in her night table rang. It was so sudden Itziar flinched and almost fell off where she was sitting. Though as soon as she managed to calm down again she took the phone and answered:

"Hello?...Helen? Yeah, it's me, Itziar…What is it?...You mean you're really going to tell your parents everything?!…No, I'm not saying it's a bad decision, I'm just surprised, that's all. I would have never expected you to take things so fast…You do have a point there, we really don't know how long it will be before chaos strikes, we've gotta be fast…No, I haven't told anything to my mother, nor to my brother. I hadn't really felt the need to tell them anything until now. And even now I don't know if telling them would make things better or just worsen them…No, don't worry about me. I'm fine, really…Yes, I promise you I'll be there tomorrow at noon…Anything to help my best friend…Alright. See you tomorrow Helen."

As Itziar hung up she contemplated everything she had just heard. Helen was really resolute in going to Amestris with Ed and Al, she would be explaining everything (or at least as much as possible) to her parents the following day, that's why she had asked Itziar to be there, to have some support, and as Itziar was the one who could provide the greatest material proof so the parents would know Helen wasn't lying.

'Oh, Helen you're so sure of your decision.' Itziar thought with a melancholic sigh. 'But what about me? What should I do now?'

.---.

The next day Itziar arrived to the Calher's house shortly before noon. There she could see that Helen's parents, sister and brother-in-law where already sitting in coaches in the living room. Ed and Al entered right then, carrying some trays with coffee and cookies for everyone, Helen in the end holding a sole cup.

"This is herbal tea." She explained to Itziar handing her the mug. "I thought you would prefer it above coffee."

"I do." Itziar nodded. "Thanks."

"Are you ready for this?" Al asked the two girls and his brother.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Itziar replied.

"I feel as if I were about to be lectured by Brigadier Mustang any moment." Ed murmured.

"Not really, but we really need to get this done." Helen admitted.

"Well, as we're all set." Al said almost in a mocking tone. "Lets get this done."

With that they all went back into the living room, they took their places almost automatically: Itziar sat on the window-seat that faced the empty street; Al remained standing beside her; Helen sat on the last couch, just a couple of feet away from Itziar and Al; and even when that coach was only for one person, Ed still sat in the armrest.

Nobody commented on their accommodation, it had all just seemed and felt so natural…and for the four alchemists it was, that was the way they arranged their seats when they visited the Rockbell's or when together at Central Headquarters.

The adults didn't say a thing, they waited for the teens to begin saying whatever it was they had called that reunion that day for. In fact, Alessandra was the only one who knew what was going on and had no idea how the rest would react.

"Ok." Helen began. "I know you're all wondering why I called you to be here, like this; and also what Ed, Al and Itziar have to do with anything."

"Yeah, the thought crossed our minds." Mike, Ale's husband admitted.

"Well, I really have no idea how to begin explaining things." Helen said nervously. "So I think the best way might be just to do a demonstration of what this is all about."

Itziar knew that was her cue to act. She was ready, she stood from her seat and went to kneel in front of the low table in the middle of the sitting room. There she brought out a small box with materials and began pouring them on the table: a bag with some beige powder, it looked like sand, and two little bottles of paint, one green and one red.

"What…" The mother began, in panic of the mess those materials would create.

"Wait mom." Ale stopped her. "Just wait and see."

Her words called the other three adults' attention, what did Alessandra know about what was going on? She didn't know much in fact, she had no idea of what Itziar could be planning to do with some sand and paint, but after what she had done the previous day with the broken figure it just couldn't be something bad.

Usually Itziar didn't need an array, just her deep concentration on what she wanted to do was more than enough to get things done. But as she was on Earth, her power wasn't as easy to access as when in Amestris, and the array helped to make sure she would get the correct result in what she was doing.

Itziar drew the array with some chalk and breathed deeply, concentrating. Once she had her mind set on what she wanted she clapped once and then brought her hands to the limits of the design. The result began just half 'a second later; the lavender energy went from her hands to the array, and then turned into what seemed small thunderbolts that surrounded the materials she had laid beforehand, mixing them and changing them at the same time.

"What's that?!" Mrs. Calher cried out in shock.

Helen was very thankful Ed had thought about closing the drapes before beginning the 'show'; Itziar had closed the last curtain right before getting to work. None of them wanted to imagine what would happen if any of the neighbors were to see the lilac glow, or how some simple laid out materials changed into something entirely different.

Right then Itziar finished her work, it was a true piece of art. In the place of the sand and paint stood now a beautiful crystal-rose, with a lot of detail, the rose was red while the stem and sole leaf were green.

Itziar slowly sat back on her heels as she breathed deeply, trying to recover some of the energy but knowing it wouldn't be happening, at least not for a while; even if some may consider it a great luck that she could use alchemy while being on Earth, they had no idea how much that tired her. Anyway, she was very satisfied of her work.

"What, what is that?" Mr. Calher asked.

"That's a crystal rose." Itziar answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

"How did you do it?" Mrs. Calher asked.

"I transmuted some sand into glass and the added the paint into the mix to give it some color." Itziar explained as she got back to the window-seat.

"How did you do that transmu-whatever?" Mike asked.

"Transmutation." Itziar explained. "It's part of a science called alchemy; a science at which Helen, Ed, Al and I are quite 'adept' if you wish to say it that way."

"Science?" Mr. Calher, was baffled. "That can't be science, it was more like magic!"

"Magic doesn't exist." Ed huffed. "Alchemy is a science. It's based in a lot of rules and bases. You can only get something of the same material you're using originally, you have always to give up on something to get something in return, that's the Equivalent Exchange and…"

"Ed." Helen interrupted him. "I really don't think they need to know the details. It's not like they will be doing alchemy, anyway."

"Right." Ed quitted his talk and waited for his intervention to be needed.

"I know you're all quite confused at all this." Helen said comprehensively, getting on her feet. "But things have happened that made me take the decision to tell you all this; I just can't keep hiding this things from you any longer.

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Calher asked.

"It can't be that bad." Mrs. Calher said, though she doubted her own words. "We would have known if something were wrong with our daughter."

"Unless I hadn't been around when such things happened." Helen pointed out.

"Still, you've never been away from home for too long." Mrs. Calher insisted. "A weekend at the most, and that time you went to visit Ale, she would have noticed if there had been any kind of trouble."

"I'm afraid I've been away for far longer than a weekend mom." Helen said almost sadly. "I know this may be difficult to understand and believe, but I can assure you I'm telling the truth. I've been away from home before, several times, each for a different time, though in total it all sums approximately four years."

"Nonsense." Mrs. Calher still refused to believe it. "There's no way you could have been away from home for four years without us noticing. That's illogic."

"In fact, it's very logic." Helen contradicted her mother softly. "Because I was out of this time. I lived a total of four years in a different world."

Helen was getting distressed at her mother's denial, they wouldn't be able to get anywhere at all if her mother didn't accept that what her daughter was saying was true.

"She's telling the truth Mrs. Calher." Ed interfered.

"What do you know about all this Edward?" Mr. Calher asked.

"I know quite a lot about the matter Mr. Calher." Ed answered seriously. "Because for three out of those four years, Helen lived with me and my family." He sighed and went on. "What we're telling you is no joke. My little brother and I, we both come from that other world Helen lived in, a world very different from your own, where alchemy exists, where all four of us are alchemists. It's called Amestris."

"Itziar…" Mrs. Calher turned to the older girl as a last resource.

"It's true Mrs. Calher." Itziar said sympathetically. "I can't tell you otherwise as you sure saw me transmute that rose."

"If you're all alchemists, why you're the only one to show us?" Mike asked.

"Because due to some 'events' I would rather not remember now, I don't need an external source of energy the way most, if not all the other alchemists do." Itziar explained calmly. "In fact we weren't supposed to be capable to do alchemy here at all, as everything we gain on Amestris disappears when we return to Earth. But after much consideration we have reached the conclusion that Ed's and Al's presence in this world has made both worlds get closer than they originally were, and as a consequence certain things from that world are getting to this one; the biggest example being my ability."

The parents didn't seem completely convinced, and it was because of that that Helen decided to something she hadn't thought about doing, but might be the only way.

"There's another proof." Helen declared suddenly.

That made Itziar and the Elric brothers react immediately, they knew what she meant and were surprised she was going to do it.

"Helen, are you sure?" Ed asked taking a hold on her forearm, softly. "We can try and explain everything to your parents first, or Itziar can try and…"

"No Ed, it's alright." Helen assured him. "This is the best way."

She was already pulling on her gloves, about to pull them off.

"Then I'm with you." Ed declared, taking his left hand to his own glove.

Helen didn't oppose to him, she was in fact glad of knowing she wouldn't go through what she was about to do, alone.

The moment Ale saw Helen pull off her gloves she knew what was about to happen and just hoped her mother wouldn't go hysteric.

Ever so slowly Helen extended her hands to the front, showing them to her mother.

"Oh God, Helen…" Mrs. Calher gasped. "What happened to you?"

"While in Amestris I lost both of my hands." Helen explained without going into much detail. "And I got them replaced with automail. Itziar already explained to you that due to the recent closeness of our worlds, some things we have in Amestris, we're getting them here; in my case I'm getting my metal-hands."

"That can't be…" Mrs. Calher was really shocked. "One person can't just lose a limb, get a metal one to substitute it, and still be able to use it as the original one."

"I'm afraid I'll have to contradict you on that one Mrs. Calher." Ed declared standing up next to Helen.

He had already taken off his glove and long sleeved jacket, revealing the metal arm he had; then he also pulled up a part of his pants to reveal the metal leg underneath.

"I too have automail limbs. I lost my arm and leg the same night Helen lost her hands." Ed explained. "In fact I will admit that what happened that night was entirely my fault and I'm completely sorry for that."

"Don't." Helen interrupted suddenly.

Her voice surprised everyone, especially because it sounded almost forced.

"Helen…" Ale whispered, she hadn't known that part of the information.

"Stop saying that what happened to us that night was your fault." Helen said seriously. "Each of us took our own decisions that night. In my case, I decided not to leave you, ever, no matter the consequences."

Helen's parents and sister were quite moved by their daughter's words, even without knowing everything that had happened to those two, it was obvious they were closer than most had believed them to be, not physically but emotionally.

So the talk went on.

Calmly, taking the time needed to explain things carefully, the story was told, or at least most of it. Certain details like what Itziar had been through while in the lab, the truth behind the Philosopher's Stone and the fact that Al's soul had been attached to an armor-suit for about four years were left untold. Still, it was enough for the adults to understand the relationship between Helen and Ed, and also between Al and Itziar; and how it would be just too cruel to try and keep them apart.

"So, when will the wedding be?" Mrs. Calher asked when the explanations were finally over, after more than two hours.

Helen had finished the whole story telling them about how Ed had proposed to her during the prom and she had accepted.

"What?!" Ed choked over the cookie he was eating.

Helen didn't know what to say, she was too surprised by the unexpected question.

"Well, you honestly don't expect us to let our youngest daughter go without first being sure she'll have someone with her in her new life, do you?" Mrs. Calher declared simply.

"Right…" Helen thought there was some kind of logic behind those words, even if she really couldn't see it at the moment.

"I'll be delighted to get married whenever Helen and you see fit." Ed declared when he finally overcame his shock.

When Helen recovered she smiled too.

And so, the wedding was set for the following week.

.---.

Getting a wedding planned and done in just one week wasn't an easy task, though it wasn't as impossible as some may believe either. Only Helen's family and Itziar would be assisting, so that solved the problem of the invitations, they had all been there when they set the date of the wedding; Helen's grandmother had insisted on doing the cake, the mother would do the food, and the wedding dress would the same one Alessandra had used with some minor adjustments; also Itziar would be the Maid of Honor, and the whole ceremony would take place in the same church Helen's parents had married in, while the party would be in their house. So, as anyone may see, there wasn't really that much that needed to be done.

Every day during that day Helen would wake in a daze, asking herself if it was true she would be marrying Ed that very Sunday or her mind had been playing tricks on her. Then, when she accepted that it was all true she would go on with most of the routine of the previous weeks: go to the kitchen, get breakfast done, eat breakfast with her family and the Elric brothers and then they would split to get things done.

Alessandra, who was a seamstress arranged the dress so it would fit her sister, it was a simple dress with thick straps and no sleeves, it showed very little cleavage while it hugged her upper torso and then fell lose, it reached to just below her knees by the front and her ankles by the back. Along with it went white middle-heeled shoes and a short transparent veil. Also Ale had made a pair of short white gloves, just so Helen could hide her automail hands, that every day seemed to become more and more visible.

Itziar's bridesmaid dress was very beautiful, slightly asymmetric, it reached to just below her knees; the straps looked as if they were knots over her shoulders that left a small piece of cloth down, making it look almost as if the sleeves had been cut open; open low-heeled shoes were the finishing touch. Oh, and it was all in a lavender color, Itziar's favorite.

Ed would be wearing a very elegant tuxedo his future-father-in-law had helped him find, while Al, as the best man, would be wearing a simple black suit with white shirt.

.---.

But even though with them things seemed to be going wonderfully, in her house Itziar didn't have so easy a time.

Every night, when she arrived after helping with that day's duties and preparations for Helen's wedding, she would pass at least a couple of hours wondering what would be of her after that wedding.

"They'll be leaving that very same night…" Itziar murmured to the wind, while she carefully thought about everything. "They told me so themselves. But what about me? What am I to do now? Should I stay here or…go with them? I really don't know."

She had tried asking for guidance but it was just useless. Her high-school friends had always told her she should find another best friend that wasn't Helen, they believed her to be 'too odd for Itziar's own good'. If they just had any idea of what was going really in Itziar's mind, body and heart…

And anyway, those guys' opinions hadn't gotten any better when the rumor spread that Helen would be getting married in a private ceremony. No one had expected that information to be known, and it had created all kind of speculations and 'crazy theories' from everyone who heard it. Some said that Helen had gotten pregnant, others that her marriage had been arranged out of convenience; it just seemed too hard for some to believe she could really be marrying out of love. Though considering all those people believed her to still be a fifteen-year-old, it may be comprehensible…

That was with her friends, with some of her relatives it had been even worse. Itziar was from a broken family. Her father had abandoned her, her mother and older brother less than two years after she had been born, rumors had it he had had an affair. Itziar didn't really care, she loved her mother and older brother with al her heart. Besides them, Itziar's only other known living relative was her grandmother: her father's mother. The old woman had assured Itziar's mother time and time again that no matter what her son may have done, she wasn't about to leave her grandchildren alone, though most of the times it was more what she bothered than what she really helped. And this had been one of the cases.

Itziar hadn't really gone to ask any relative for help (as it's already been said she doesn't have many); she had thought about talking with her mother about everything that was going on, but didn't want to bother her. Her mother already did a lot working to maintain all three of them. Even when Itziar's older brother had two jobs and studied in an open-college, their mother didn't want Itziar to do the same, she wanted the best for her little daughter, just like any good parent usually did.

So, Itziar's grandmother had arrived unexpectedly to their house early one morning, before Al arrived to pick up Itziar so they would go take a stroll and then help the Calhers some more. The elder woman hadn't even greeted the gal, she had just gone 'straight to business', telling Itziar to cut any ties she might have with Helen because that girl was a bad influence to her 'dear granddaughter'.

Itziar almost spit the tea she had been drinking in that moment. She really wanted to defend Helen's name, but was too shocked to say anything at all. Her mother had arrived right then and politely told the other woman to 'get lost'.

By the time Al arrived for Itziar the incident had been left behind already, yet Itziar still had all the things fresh in her mind, and the same question prevailed: What was she going to do? Stay or leave?

How could she ever make such a choice? How could anyone expect her to decide between her family and the man she loved?

Life was so not fair.

.---.

And finally the awaited day came: the day of Helen's wedding.

Helen walked down the aisle of the small church by her father's arm, just some feet behind Itziar, who had entered along with Al.

Ed was already waiting at the very front, nervously fidgeting with the buttons in his cuffs; but the moment he laid his eyes on Helen, there was nothing in his mind except her.

'She looks so terribly beautiful…' Ed thought in a daze. 'And to think that in less than an hour she'll be my wife…' Ed sighed to himself. 'If anyone had told me, the night I found her lying unconscious in the riverside, that one day I would love her so much, that I would be capable of doing anything just to remain by her side, I would have called that person insane. Yet that's the truth, I love her, and no matter what odds we may have to surpass still, we'll do it; I'll do it, I'll do anything, as long as I can stay with her…'

Helen, on the other hand, was really nervous too; though the veil did a good job in hiding the slight tick she got in her left eye when she was like that; and anyway, any tick was forgotten the moment she saw Ed at the front, waiting for her; as handsome as ever, and even more… if such a thing is even possible.

'How can he be so incredibly breathtaking?' Helen thought to herself, though she knew it was unlikely she would ever get an answer. 'I can't believe I'm really getting married to him. To think what most of the girls in my school said when they somehow found out. They all believe themselves to be too young for a true relationship, for a true commitment, and yet I'm here, about to get married to the one man I know I'll love for the rest of my life. Most who know us think it's just plain outraging that we're getting married just a month after becoming 'official', yet we know we've been together for years already, if not physically then at least in the heart. And we've known each other for far longer… Some may believe me to be too young to do what I'm doing right here, right now, but I know it's how things are supposed to be. Not many people know I'm not as young as I seem to be, or even half of what I've been through, or Ed. They don't really know us, they don't know how deep our loves run. Deep enough that we were able to overcome all obstacles and find a way to be together; being from worlds that are different altogether we still met and fell in love, and made it through everything life threw at us. We took our love beyond all frontiers…'

The ceremony was short and emotive, though it seemed that the two main characters of it only really paid attention to the ending line, after their vows and rings had been exchanged, and the priest had blessed their love…

"For the power invested in me I declare you husband and wife." The priest declared, he smiled softly at the couple. "You may kiss the bride…"

And kiss her he did.

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to one of my best friends in the whole world, my onee-san, Mihara! She's the one the character of Helen is based on, and this chapter is especially for her. Hope you like it Mihara-nee-san! Hope everyone likes it!

Now, this is a special treat. Seeing as we're about to celebrate Christmas and all I offer you a gift of my own: the next chapter posted before Kings' Day; for those who wonder what I'm talking about the celebration is "Dia de Reyes", here in Mexico, and it's celebrated the 6th of January. What do you have to do? Leave me lots of reviews! Please, I know there must be some people reading this, and yet I never receive more than two reviews! The most I've received I think it's been four in a chapter! The last two didn't get any reviews at all! (And according to my status, at least 12 people are supposed to have this fic in their alerts!) Please! This fic is about to end (just one more chapter and the epilogue to go, I think). PLEASE!!!


	19. Back Home

**Chapter 18. ****Back Home **

The party was supposed to last 'til night, when the newlyweds and Al would take their leave, not only from the house, but from the world. Helen's parents wanted to enjoy that day for as long as it lasted.

Itziar, on the other hand, left early. It wasn't that she wasn't having fun, because she really was; but there was just too much on her mind. She had excused herself with Ed and Helen and told them she would see them in the park that night, then she left for her house, alone, once more to think.

"She's not coming with us, is she?" Al asked her brother and now-official sister right after Itziar left.

"I'm afraid not Al." Helen answered with a tinge of sadness.

"But why not?" Ed asked.

"It's not that easy for her to give up on everything." Helen replied. "It's not that she doesn't love Al, because I know for a fact she does." She turned to Al. "First of all Al, you must know Itziar loves you very much, she has loved you for a very long time, in fact; since we returned, after our last visit to Amestris, I believe."

"Then why won't she come?" Al asked in a painful tone.

"I believe it may be because she's afraid to let her family down." Helen replied after thinking about it for a moment. "You must know Itziar doesn't have a father, he abandoned her when she was one and her older brother three. All her life she has done her best to make her mother and brother proud; and there's also the fact of her grandmother, Mrs. Carrey is Itziar's father's mother, and it seems that she's always wanting to control Itziar's life in one way or another. From what I know Itziar hadn't ever done anything 'out of the routine' until we were called to Amestris. I don't think Mrs. Irene, Itziar's mother, disliked her daughter's change at all, in fact I believe she liked it. However, one thing is having a change of attitude, and another entirely different to abandon those who have cared for you for your whole life."

"Why then didn't you have a problem to decide?" Ed asked.

"Our stories are different." Helen replied. "Even though I know I'm leaving my family, I also know that this was due to happen sooner or later; maybe not to go to another world but in the end it's the same. Besides, I know my parents will have each other even if both me and my sister leave; while Itziar's mother will stay all alone the day both of her children leave."

It was still hard for the alchemist brothers to understand, but in the end one thing was clear: they couldn't press Itziar, whatever decision she made, she had to do it by herself.

"I just wish to be with Itziar…" Al whispered.

"I know bro, I know…" Ed told him sympathetically. "You'll see your love will find a way, just like Helen's and mine did."

"That's right." Helen nodded. "What's supposed to be, will be, you just have to keep your hopes up Al, never give up."

"I really hope you're right, Ed, Helen…" Al whispered with a sigh. "I really do. I can't lose Itziar, I love her too much…"

.---.

Hours went by, it was already past eleven and Itziar was standing in her room, with her night-light on, in front of her over her bed rested a suitcase, open and empty. It didn't matter for how long she had pondered about the same already, she still wasn't capable of making a definite decision and stick to stick.

"This is just too hard…" she sighed. "Why did it have to be so hard?"

But she knew why, she had heard it before: 'The truly valuable things are hard to obtain, and harder to keep but that's what makes them all the more precious.' And how true it was.

"I really love Al, and I wish to be with him forever…" Itziar whispered to the wind. "Yet I can't just leave my mother and brother, they've both done so much for me; it would be really ungrateful of me to just abandon them. Oh God, what should I do?"

When noticing that she wasn't getting anywhere at all she thought maybe a cup of tea would help her relax a bit and clear her mind. What she wasn't expecting, however, was to find her mother sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in her hands.

"There's hot water in the kettle." Irene said simply.

Itziar almost automatically took a mug from the cabinet, a fistful of herbs from a bag (she very much preferred to make her tea out of natural herbs than of the ones in the bags), and prepared her tea.

"Come here, seat with me." Irene called her daughter.

Itziar just obeyed and sat down in front of her mother, taking a sip of her tea.

"What's worrying you daughter?" Irene asked.

"Nothing mama, nothing at all." Itziar lied.

"Don't try to lie to me Itziar…you know better than that." Irene said almost scolding.

"It's just that I'm a bit worried for my future." Itziar answered. "I don't know what I'll be doing from now on."

"That depends on you honey, and only on you."

"Mama. I want to ask you something."

"Whatever you want dear."

"In a hypothetical situation, that a girl had been able to travel before to another world, once there met wonderful people and lived all kind of adventures; years later she has the chance of returning to that world and stay there permanently, or never go there again. What would you say to help her decide?"

"I would tell her: good luck."

"Wha…Madre!" Itziar almost fell off her chair.

"What? You wanted an answer. I gave you one."

"You can't be serious."

"Why not? Is it too easy for you?"

"Wha…what do you mean?"

"Itziar, I may work a lot and not be with you and your brother as much as I would wish, but that doesn't mean I'm blind. I'm still your mother, and I know when something's going on with my children. I may not know everything that has happened, but I know enough to notice that you need to make an important decision. Maybe the most important of all."

"Yes." Itziar finally admitted it. "I don't think I would ever be able to explain everything to you, it's just too complicated."

"But that's not the point. It doesn't matter if I, or your brother, or anyone else knows or not. In the end, you're the one who's supposed to make that decision, only you. I think that maybe the reason why you haven't been able to make up your mind, is because you're waiting for others to make that decision for you; your friends, your family. But this is your decision, it is your future; you're the only one that can decide what to do with it."

"I'm not sure if I can do it."

"But you can. You must stop thinking about me and your brother and start thinking about yourself. About your future, about what'll make you truly happy. I already did what I could to help you, the rest is up to you."

"You already…what did you do?"

"What every mother has to do sooner or later…let go." She sighed. "You're free to make your own decisions, to live your own life Itziar; I know you're old enough to do it, and wise enough too. Make this decision, on your own."

Her mother's words repeated themselves over and over again in Itziar's head. For her to make the decision on her own, to 'let go'…Was it really that easy? Maybe yes.

"Thanks mama…" Itziar said with a faint smile as she hugged the older woman tightly.

"Just remember to say good bye before you leave, alright?" Irene said with a smile.

Itziar didn't even get the chance to reply to that as right then her mother got on her feet, left her empty mug in the sink and left for her bedroom.

A second later Itziar was running up the stairs and back into her bedroom as fast as she could, her half-finished tea forgotten.

Once in there she began throwing things into the suitcase, not really having the care of folding them and arranging them, it didn't seem important at the moment, nor did she have the time either. After packing her favorite clothes (as she obviously wouldn't be able to take them all) she took the photos she had there in her room, along with the set of jewelry her mother had given her for her last birthday, her diary and favorite books. Once she thought she had packed enough things (and nothing more would fit) she closed her suitcase and a back-pack she had used, changed her clothes and got ready to leave.

When Itziar reached the door of her house she found a box there with a note, it said: '_My dear Itziar: Good luck in your new life. Love you always, your Mother._'

"Thank you mama…" Itziar whispered strapping the package to her suitcase. "Good luck to you too."

As quietly as she could Itziar exited her house, pulling her suitcase (it had wheels) with the box tied, and the backpack on her shoulder.

Right as she was leaving the property she turned to look over her shoulder, to the second-story window, the window to her mother's room; and there she was, watching Itziar leave, as if she had already known that would happen…and maybe she did.

"Good bye mama…" Itziar said in her mother's direction.

"Good bye my girl…be happy…" Somehow she could hear to her mother's response.

And with that Itziar turned back to the front, and without turning even once more, she walked steadily to the downtown park.

.---.

Meanwhile, in the park, three people were waiting. Dressed in their alchemist-attires; which in Ed and Al's case meant almost identical attires, except that Al's had the details of the inner clothes in a golden tone instead of silver, and the coat was a softer tone, almost amber instead of red; Helen's attire was the same than in the past, black and blue.

The three were there on their own as Helen had insisted on having all the farewells back in her house, she said she preferred that to have all her family there in the park. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to really tell them good bye, had they been there.

It was almost midnight, the time when they had agreed they would use their will to open the way to Amestris, one last time; and Itziar hadn't arrived yet…

"Are you sure you wanna do this Al?" Ed was asking his brother.

They both seemed to have been talking about a very serious matter for a while. Helen hadn't yet said a thing; she just remained quite and listened.

"Yes brother." Al nodded with a half-sigh. "Until some time ago I believed you were the only one I needed with me so I could be happy, but now I know I need more. I need Itziar with me brother, just as much as you and Helen need each other. I love her so much that I know I won't be happy without her by my side."

Ed sighed, he knew there was no way of fighting his younger brother's words, He knew better than anyone else how he felt, because he felt the same way about Helen, his wife; how lucky he was she had decided to go with him.

"I understand bro." Ed nodded. "And know that I'll support you in your decision, whatever that may be."

"Ditto." Helen piped in with an understanding smile.

"Thanks bro, sis." Al replied.

"You'll see Al, love will find a way." Helen assured him.

Al just sighed, he was about to say something else when suddenly he felt as if something were tugging at his soul. He immediately turned around and gasped.

When hearing him gasp Helen and Ed turned to look at him, and then both followed the same direction of his eyes, they too were very surprised at what they saw:

"Wait for me!" The feminine voice they knew well called to them right then. "Don't leave me behind. I'm going too!"

It was Itziar, obviously, dressed in the beautiful attire Rose had done during her stay at Lior; the very same attire Al remembered she had been wearing that day, when he had made the promise of always being there for her.

"Itziar!" Helen finally called when coming out of her shock.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Itziar said taking deep breaths, she had ended up exhausted because she had had to run all the way to the park, out of fear of being there too late. "It's just that it took me a bit too long to decide what I was going to take with me."

They had no need to know it had also taken her a long time just to decide to leave at all. But they were all happy she had finally made up her mind, they definitely were.

"Are you sure of your decision?" Ed couldn't help but ask. "I mean, you do know that once we get to Amestris it's very likely we'll never return, don't you?"

"Yes, I understand that." Itziar nodded with a soft smile. "And I decided that I love Al enough to do anything to be with him." She turned to Al. "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad Al, cariño (sweety), I never really doubted my love, I just was too afraid to really take destiny into my own hands; but now I have, and this is my decision."

"Are you really sure of this Itziar?" This time it was Al asking. "Because if not then I…"

"Sh…" Itziar softly placed a finger on Al's lips. "Don't worry. I'm sure Al, I really am. Now lets go. Our home is awaiting us."

Our home…that phrase sounded just perfect in Al's ears.

The four of them stood in the Kiosk, forming a circle, the girls' bags in the middle.

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Helen?" Ed unexpectedly asked his wife.

"What kind of question is that?" Helen asked between confused and annoyed.

"I mean, are you really sure you wanna give up on everything just for me?" Ed asked again. "Your family, your friends, even your hands…"

"My hands, I'll still have them, even if they're of automail, I don't mind; as I've told you time and time again, it was my decision." Helen said seriously. "My best friends are right here: Al and Itziar; and you're my family 'oh so dear husband'." She grinned at that. "So now please stop having silly thoughts and let us leave. Like Itziar said, our home is waiting."

"Amestris is waiting." Ed agreed.

So there, with their joined hands they called aloud their deepest wish:

"¡Queremos ir a casa (We want to go home)! We wanna go to Amestris!"

And a bright light enveloped them all.

A second later just the winds could be heard, in an empty park, in the downtown of a coastal city of Mexico…

.---.

Very far away, a world away to be precise, in the Central City of Amestris that day was a day of celebration. It was the annual Peace Celebrity, which had begun after the attack from the strange people from the other side of the gate. It was a day to celebrate the fact that they were all alive, happy, and that there was peace in Amestris.

To the celebration attended almost everyone in the city, and the best part was when some State Alchemists made a demonstration of their powers, just for the people's entertainment.

It was the turn of the Flame Alchemist, a handsome man with short jet-black hair and obsidian eyes, to pass and make his demonstration, he had some fireworks and turned them on after making a figure out of fire in the air. Many of those present applauded his work, especially a certain little baby with very dark blonde hair and dark eyes, who was being held by a woman with dark-amber eyes, light blonde hair that hung lose to her hips, and who wore a cream dress with thick straps and no sleeves. Both the mother and the child seemed very happy as the alchemist smiled at them.

What no one could have expected was that right as the last firework exploded there could also be seen a bright flash of light, right behind the Flame Alchemist.

Some people gasped, others awed, though none really knew what that flash meant.

In a second the Flame Alchemist had his right hand read to snap, just a few feet away from him the mother had handed her baby to a young blonde-haired blue-eyed woman that sat right next to her and brought her hand to a gun hidden in her bag.

Several others reacted in similar ways, their training either in or out of the militia kicking in as they got ready for any possible attack that may emerge from the old cathedral right in front of them all.

Though what emerged from the semi-destroyed building wasn't exactly a threat, in fact it was far from being that. Four young people, two men and two women came out from the building looking rather confused at seeing so many people there.

"So many people here to welcome us?" The one who seemed like the oldest, a man, asked in a rather funny way.

"I seriously doubt this is a welcome party." The woman next to him said sarcastically.

"I seriously doubt anyone here knew we would be coming at all." The second woman added as-a-matter-of-factly.

"That's right." The last man agreed.

"Well, then what's all these people doing here?" The first man asked.

When hearing and identifying the voices the Flame Alchemist immediately relaxed and almost cracked laughing right then and there. He lowered his hand and after making a signal to the rest to lower their guards he approached the newcomers.

"You definitely like making an entrance, don't you?" The Flame Alchemist asked approaching the quartet.

"Brigadier Mustang!" The second couple exclaimed at once.

Those were obviously Al and Itziar, with him pulling his beloved's suitcase while she carried the backpack.

"Why in the name of all the spirits did he have to be the first one I see when I just got back?" The first man, obviously Ed, asked in a fake dramatic tone.

His wife, right next to him, was about to say something when they were interrupted.

"Because you have such a good timing that you arrived right in the middle of the festival." A female voice told them, it was the mother from before, once again holding the baby.

"Captain Hawkeye!" This time it was the first woman, Helen, who was surprised.

Helen's surprise may have been because she had never seen the woman out of the military uniform, less of all with her hair down. But when she noticed the baby in her arms she was just too shocked to saw anything at all. And it was her husband the first who mentioned it, although not exactly in the best way.

"What's with the baby?" Ed asked.

Helen almost smacked him in the head for his way of asking things, but the other two were far too used to it already to really care.

"That's my son." Roy declared. "Richard Mustang."

"¡¿Qué cosa (What)?!" Out of shock Ed slipped into Spanish and didn't notice.

Itziar just smiled, it seemed like Riza had followed her advice after all. Those two really made a good couple, and the baby was beautiful.

"He's so cute…" Helen cooed looking at the baby. "May I hold him?"

"Sure." Riza nodded and passed the baby to her.

"I sure am going to miss being able to hold my niece or nephew this way." Helen commented as she held the baby carefully.

And it was that shortly before Ed and Al had appeared in their world Alessandra had given the family the news that she was pregnant.

"Maybe you should have one of your own…" Roy commented with a wicked grin.

"Be careful of your words Mustang." Ed said in a dangerous. "Because if you don't, General or not I'll still hit you, that's my wife you're talking to."

"Wife?" Both Roy and Riza were surprised at knowing that.

"Yes, Ed and I got married." Helen nodded and showed the wedding band to prove it, it was right next to the engagement ring, which she still wore. "Just some hours ago in fact, or was it yesterday?"

"It depends on how much time passed while we crossed the gate." Al reminded her.

"The sun is already up here, I dare say it's around noon." Itziar added.

"Yesterday, then." Helen nodded.

"Well, why wasn't I invited to this reunion?" A female voice suddenly asked.

They all turned to a side to see one person they knew very well.

"Winry!" Helen exclaimed, though she first gave the baby back to Riza and then threw her arms around her other best friend. "It's so good to see you."

"It's great to see all of you too." Winry nodded. "I knew you would be coming back sooner or later, I just knew it." She turned to Ed. "And you Ed, is it true what I just heard? Have you and Helen gotten married?"

"Yes." Ed nodded. "Right before we left her and Itziar's world."

"Well, I'm so happy for you." Winry said sincerely. "I'm sad I couldn't be at your wedding, but maybe you'll be able to attend mine."

"Really?!" Surprisingly enough the one who cried out wasn't Ed, nor Al for that matter, it was a young man standing behind Winry.

The young man was about half 'a head taller than Winry, with brunette hair and coffee brown eyes, he wore casual clothing.

"Ed, Al, Helen, Itziar." Winry called them all. "This is Travis Kiren, my fiancé. Travis, these are the friends I've told you about: Alphonse and Edward Elric, Edward's wife: Helen, and Al's girlfriend: Itziar."

"Wait a second, how do you know Itziar is Al's girlfriend?" Ed asked surprised.

"It's just obvious." Winry replied simply.

"Eh, Winry, there's one thing I don't understand." Helen commented. "Why did your fiancé cry out like that right when you said you would be getting married?"

"Ah, that." Winry didn't seem to give much importance to that. "It's just that Travis proposed to me some months ago, and I told him I would give him my answer when you four returned."

"And if we hadn't returned?" Helen asked, not-too-sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Well, we'll never know." Winry replied with a half grin.

"Well, this definitely looks like a very happy reunion." Another female voice called. "Can we say hello to the newcomers too?"

"Sensei!" Al, Ed and Helen cried out at once happily.

There she was, Izumi Curtis, the talented alchemist who had trained those three, behind her came Sig, and next to them stood a boy of between three and four years old, with his mother's slim but strong build and his father's hair and eyes.

The moment she saw the child Itziar immediately knew that was Ian, Izumi's and Sig's son; the same one that appeared on the picture she had. Ever so slowly Itziar made her way from between her boyfriend and friends and then knelt in front of the boy.

"Hello." She said with a soft smile. "You're Ian, right?"

The boy, who had half-hidden behind Izumi's leg barely nodded his head.

"I'm Itziar, Ian, and am very happy to meet you." Itziar said extending her hand.

"You're the angel?" Ian asked coming from behind his mother to approach Itziar.

"Angel?" Al asked a bit confused.

"Yes." Ian nodded, suddenly confident. "Ely once told me about an angel-lady that healed her papa when he was sick, and mom said that same angel healed her. You're her, right?"

"Yes." Itziar nodded. "I'm the angel that healed Elysia's father and your mother."

"Angel-lady!" Another voice called right then.

Itziar turned to a side and could see an eight-year-old Elysia running as fast as she could to her, a bouquet of flowers in her hand. She was about to reach the group when she suddenly tripped and fell to the ground painfully.

"Oh my dear Elysia!" Maes called arriving right behind his girl.

Behind him arrived his wife, Graciel, holding the hands of the ones who seemed to be Maes's younger children: a girl of about four years old, and a little boy of two.

Wordlessly Itziar approached Elysia, extended her hands and touched first the girl's knees and then the half-ruined flowers; they all immediately returned to normal.

"Thank you angel-lady!" Elysia said handed her the flowers. "These are for you."

"Thank you Ely." Itziar smiled at the girl. "Why don't you introduce me to your siblings?"

"Right." Ely ran back to the little kids. "This one here is my little sister Maia, and this is my baby brother Greg."

"What do you say about we take this meeting to a nearby restaurant?" Roy suggested. "There we can talk and eat at the same time. We sure have a lot of catching up to do."

The others immediately agreed. And so the group filed up to the nearest restaurant, one they'd all been to at least once before.

None of the four teenagers knew exactly what they were going to do, where they would live, work, or anything at all; but it didn't seem to matter at all. At that moment the only thing that mattered was that they finally were back home…

* * *

I'm so sad right now...I haven't had a single review in the last three chapters! I mean, am I that bad with this fic? I certainly hope not, especially considering that I'm only missing one more chapter, the epilogue actually.

This chapter is dedicated to my mother, who's always getting me out of my writer's block; actually I have the habit of bombarding her with questions and hypothetical situations every once in a while; she truly gave the answer Itziar's mother gives her daughter in this chapter, which is why I did it that way. I hope you like it.

I also want to announce I'll be changing my penname in the next few days, from Princess Lalaith to Lalaith Quetzalli, just so you know.

Please, leve some reviews. PLEASE!!!


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue. **

_Dear Mama: _

_It's been a while since I last saw you, yes, five years is definitely a very long time. And as you may be able to imagine a lot __has happened in this time. _

_Shortly after we arrived here to Amestris we traveled to Rizenbul, Ed's and Al's hometown, and the place w__here Al and I had decided to settle down. Helen and Ed, on the other hand, still live in Central City, it's better for them as they still work for the militia. It's true that Al and I still have the title of State Alchemists, but we'll only be called if there is a real emergency, something Roy Mustang and his team can't handle on his own. We reached that arrangement because I much prefer raising a family in a town like Rizenbul than in Central City. _

Roy Mustang was at his office, sorting out some paperwork he had finally finished when he could hear a knocking at his door.

"Brigadier Mustang, Mr. and Mrs. Elric are here to see you now." His secretary announced him from the open door.

"Alright." Roy answered without even raising his head from his things. "Send them in."

The secretary seemed slightly disappointed but left to do as she was told. It was incredible to see that the one who had once been known as a womanizer now didn't even took a glance at any woman but his own wife. But well, rumors did say that the woman in question had very peculiar 'ways' of making sure her husband was faithful.

"I really can't believe the Brigadier-Bastard could finally settle down…" Ed was saying as he entered the office, followed by Helen.

"Well, you settled down…" Helen said with a grin.

"What kind of comment is that, querida (dear)?" Ed asked raising a brow.

"Maybe Full Metal is just too surprised I finally chose one woman between all of those who threw themselves at my feet…" Roy commented with a smile.

"No." Ed immediately broke his illusion. "In fact what I'm quite surprised about is that there is a woman in this world able to tolerate you for more than an hour."

Roy fumed angrily, the worst was that he couldn't even make fun of Ed's height anymore, the boy had definitely grown in the last years.

"What is it you called us for, Brigadier General?" Helen asked, adopting the attitude she only used when dealing with military matters.

"That's right." Roy nodded. "I've sorted everything out. The Star and Soul Alchemist are known to be off duty, though in an emergency they'll still be called to help. You, on the other hand… Full Metal Alchemist, Weaver Alchemist, I declare you both back on duty from this day on; you'll fill the ranks you were given before leaving. Colonel Elric, Lte. Colonel Calher. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!" Both answered at once.

_Oh, but I'm getting too far ahead. Anyway, about three months after we arrived to Rizenbul, right after some friends' wedding, Al proposed to me. I of course said yes, and we got married almost four months afterwards (by the way, thank you for the dress mama, it was always my dream to get married with the same dress__ you wore). _

In a small church, in Rizenbul, a wedding was taking place. It was a small ceremony, only the family and close friends present. And as Itziar didn't really have any family with her Roy had been the one to walk her down the aisle.

The ceremony was short and beautiful, a mix of Amestris's and Earth's customs. Helen was the Maid of Honor and Ed the Best Man. Elysia the flower-girl and Ian the ringbearer.

Itziar was truly glowing that day, dressed in the beautiful off-the shoulder, short sleeved long white dress that had belonged to her mother; it was simple yet very beautiful.

_Some months after our wedding Ed's and Helen's first baby was born, they named him Alexei. I, on the other hand, had some trouble getting pregnant, I think it may be for a 'sickness' I caught the first time I was in Amestris. When I did get pregnant I got a bit delicate, but things came out just fine in the end. You can be happy now mama, you're now a proud grandmother of a beautiful girl whom Al and I decided to call Esperanza. _

_Also around that time Helen's and Ed's second kid was born, this time a girl, they called her Trisha, in memory of their deceased mother. _

_I really don't know if this letter will ever reach you, even if I've finally managed to completely control my powers, I don't know if they're enough to send this letter to another world, but still, I hope they will. I hope you'll read this and see how happy I am. I miss you mom, I really do, but I'm happy with my family. I'm happy for the decision I took that night… _

It's a sunny day and a certain blue-green eyed, auburn haired woman was at the kitchen. She smiled as she looked out the window and could see a girl with light auburn hair and green-amber eyes playing with a man with dark blonde hair and amber eyes. Her dear daughter and beloved husband, how she loved those two…

The young woman's musing were interrupted with a knock on the door.

"Al, cariño (sweety)!" Itziar called outside. "I think Ed, Helen and their kids are here!"

"Coming, amor (love)." Al replied, he turned to her daughter. "Come on Esperanza, go wash your hands so we can all eat the delicious lunch your mama prepared."

The girl immediately did as she was told and went to wash her hands.

Meanwhile, through the door entered their friends, and also part of their family. It was like a tradition, to visit one another every other week, once in Central, once in Rizenbul.

The men set the table, while the women brought the food to it, the children helping with the napkins and other little details. Itziar was about to bring to the dinning room the last dish when her daughter approached her and made an unexpected question.

"Do you miss your home mama?" Little Esperanza asked Itziar.

"What do you mean honey? We're home." Itziar replied.

"I mean your 'other home'." Esperanza explained. "With your own mama and big brother. Do you miss them? Are you sad because you can't be with them?"

"I do miss them Anza." Itziar nodded. "But I'm not sad, because I have you, and your papa, and aunt Helen, and uncle Ed, your cousins, and many friends. I'm very happy because I have all of you with me."

"Ok." The girl seemed to be happy with the answer and left.

_Esperanza is such a wonderful little girl, I would like you to meet her someday. I know the portal between Earth and Amestris is supposed to be closed but, who knows? Love can do wonderful things… _

_Here I adjoin a couple of photographs. The first I would like you to give it to Helen's parents, so they'll be able to see the amazing family their daughter has; the second is so you and my bro will be able to see me and my family, so you'll meet little Esperanza. _

_Oh mama, I miss you so much. I really wish we'll be able to see each other again; but if not, know that I still remember you, and love__ you, I always will. Even if you can't be here physically you're always in my mind and heart. _

_By the way, Al and Esperanza send you a kiss. _

_Lots of love, your daughter: _

_Itziar Carrey-Elric. _

* * *

And so this story has come to an end. I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was my way of showing how much I like FMA, and my friendship with my dear Mihara-nee-san (Helen is based on her). This is the end of the story, there won't be a sequel, since I don't like when happy endings are spoiled, so...tell me how much you liked it! (or how much you didn't).

_**Adieu!**_


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